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The other day, when I was on my way to do some grocery shopping, I saw a woman who was carrying a plastic supermarket basket.
She was walking alone on the street, quite far from the shops, with a nonchalant air.

Nobody seemed to think it was strange, except me.

Soon after she walked past me, I saw an old, Asian lady pushing a shopping trolley, from the same supermarket. They both seemed to be walking home with them.

I wondered if the supermarkets allowed their trolleys and baskets to be borrowed, similar to the way  you can borrow an umbrella from some railway stations in Japan.

There's no problem as long as you return the umbrella after you borrow it. It is an honesty system.

Somehow, I doubt it. I am sure that no supermarket offers this kind of service to their customers.  Sometimes I see shopping trolleys abandoned in parks or streets. Maybe the ones I saw wethat day were destined to be laundry baskets.  
Many supermarkets have introduced a system where you have to put a coin in the trolley's lock and chain system, then the trolley must be returned to get your money back. 

Cinema applause

I recently went to see a Japanese film called “Like Father, Like Son”,  which was the winner of this year's Cannes film festival.

The movie did not have any famous actors in it and was not a blockbuster, by any means.

It was a just simple, thought provoking story about families and blood ties.

I really enjoyed it.

When the movie ended, I was surprised to see the audience clap their hands in appreciation. I have never experienced this before! We don't do this in Japan.

I wondered if anyone would hear the applause.

I like Australian audiences!

If they enjoy something, whether it is a movie, concert or sporting event, they are really enthusiastic to show their feelings with generous applause. 

 

Disabled?

I sometimes see obese people parking in the disabled car park. 

They have a disabled sign on their car, but they usually don’t have wheelchairs or walking sticks.

I don’t know if they are overweight because of their disability, or if they are disabled because of their weight.Perhaps if they parked further away and walked a greater distance, it might help improve their condition.

I am curious as to what the criteria is for granting a disabled sign.

Funeral Attire

I have been to a few funerals since I have been in Australia.
Here, people don't seem to mind how they dress so much. Many people choose not to wear black, as we must in Japan. We always wear formal clothing, suits and sometimes formal kimono.  
Although some people wear suits here, I have seen people wearing very casual clothing and even some teenage girls wearing very short skirts, as though they are going to a night club. 

I was surprised to learn that sometimes Australians even play rock music, have a drink and tell funny stories about the dearly departed during the ceremony. 
Many Australian people like to celebrate the lives of the departed and see them off in a fun way, instead of having a sad and depressing funeral service. 

Cigarette packs

 

One of my co-workers, who is a smoker, removes all of her cigarettes from the packet, which has shocking health warnings and very disturbing images of cancer victims on it.

She then puts the smokes into a nice cigarette case, so she doesn't have to look at the ugly packet and be reminded of the damage that smoking can cause. 

The taste and damage to health is still the same, no matter what type of box they come in!

Last year the Australian government banned all tobacco companies from printing their commercial logos on cigarette packs.  

More than 75% of the front of the cigarette packet and all of the back, now show shocking health warning pictures. For example, terrible gums affected by disease, horrific damaged eyes, etc. 

All because of smoking.

At the beginning of this month, the government announced that the tobacco tax will be increased by 60% in a step-by-step manner for the next four years.

In four years time, a packet of 20 smokes will cost more than A$20.

Even if becomes $50 or $100 per pack, I'm sure many smokers will continue to pay the price, and also all of the health damage caused by passive smoking will continue.

Scary!

Barbie party?

 

Not only is English very difficult to learn, but then there is also Aussie slang to contend with! 

Australians like to abbreviate many words, for example: Uni for university, bikkie for biscuit, pressie for present, hanky for handkerchief, etc. etc.

Soon after I came to Melbourne, one of my co-workers invited me to a 'barbie'. 
I later learned that this is a summer party where they cook the food outside, but at that time, I didn't know what a barbie was. My first thought was that it must be something to do with the famous doll.

Don't judge a book by it's cover

 

After I parked my car in the city, I went to the vending machine to buy a parking ticket.

Just before I started to insert some coins, a guy approached me.

I was a bit worried because he looked very kowai (scary). He was covered in tattoos, even on his neck! 

In Japan, tattoos are a sign of the yakuza, a criminal organization. 

But, to my surprise, he was very nice to me!

He offered me his parking ticket, which was good for 2 hours, and he had only used 15 minutes.

He didn't seem friendly at all and did not smile as he spoke to me, but even so, I thought this was a very kind act.  

We should not judge a book by its cover.

Vet waiting room

Most of the pet's owners at the vet are very friendly and talkative.  
Every time I take my cat (sakura-chan) to the vet, I am warmly welcomed by them when I enter the waiting room. 
They all love to talk about their pet's health problems, their age, etc. and they always give nice compliments about each others pets. 

We all listened sympathetically as one lady told us about her dog's recent lack of appetite.  Another lady replied "Oh, the poor thing. He looks quite pale."
Pale? The dog was black!
I thought it was a joke, but nobody was laughing.

I stared at the dog, looking for signs of a pale complexion, but he still just looked black to me.

Four seasons in one day

Australia is a very big continent, 22 times the size of Japan!

In the far north of Australia, people can enjoy summer all the year around. 

Fortunately, I live in Melbourne, where we have four seasons, even though sometimes they all occur in one day. 

We have been having several mornings of low temperatures, as low as one degree this winter.

samui!

Compared with the usual winter, I think we have been enjoying a colder winter in Melbourne this year.

The weather lady on TV news was telling us that recently we had the coldest morning in this winter!

Then she gave the snow report for the alpine ski areas, but I thought it was funny that she was wearing a sleeveless summer dress!

In Japan, the TV news weather ladies wear outfits to reflect the current season.

I know she was in a heated studio, but this is on local TV. 

It is in Melbourne, desu ne?

Assorted Sushi Platter

 

One of my young female co-workers was at a Japanese restaurant with her friends.

One of her girlfriends was on a diet which restricted carbohydrates and sugar, so she ordered 'Chirashi Zushi'. (Chirashi Zushi is vinegared rice with thin strips of mainly raw fish, crab meat and others arranged on top). But because of her diet, she wanted the rice to be removed!

Eventually, an assorted Sashimi (raw fish) platter was served.

I imagined the restaurant staff, including chefs and waitresses making the dish and then busily picking all the fish pieces from the rice.

 My co-worker was very surprised with her girlfriend at the restaurant. Why didn't she just order sashimi?

I think eating in moderation by reducing the amount on your plate, along with regular exercise is the best.

Signs of Affection

It is unusual for most Japanese people to show their affection for others with physical action, e.g. by giving a kiss or a hug to somebody, especially in public!

When I am introduced to some new people in Australia, in a casual situation among friends, sometimes I get a hug and kiss on the cheek from them.
It took a while for me to become used to Australian people's expression of love or friendship.

When I visit my niece in Japan , my kisses and hugs have not been welcomed, since she became a teenager.

When I look back at my childhood, I have no memory of showing or receiving physical signs of affection, even among my family. I cannot remember when was the last time I was hugged and kissed by my parents, but that is not the Japanese way.

It doesn't mean they don't love me at all.

Casual Friday

We don't have to wear a uniform at work, but everyone is expected to wear appropriate business clothing. On Fridays, we have a casual day and can wear something less formal to work.

We expected everyone to come to work in 'smart-casual' on Friday, but I was quite shocked to see some people arrive wearing home wear, that is, track suit pants and sweat shirts!

Too casual desu!

Chivalry is nor dead

I was recently offered a seat on public bus by a very old gentleman who looked over 80 years old.

I hesitated to accept his offer because it was not a long trip for me and he looked quite frail. 

I thought he needed the seat more than I did, so I said “No thank you.” 

I don't think he was happy that I turned down his gallant offer. He shouted very loudly to me,

“Have a seat here! You are the only lady without a seat on this bus!” 

Then a young man suddenly stood up and offered me his seat as well.

He said, “I'm sorry, I should have offered you my seat earlier.”

Many of the passengers were now looking at me. 

I wasn't sure what to do. 

I didn't want to be rude and remain standing, even though my destination was getting closer and closer.

I thanked them both and sat down in the young man's seat for a few minutes, until I arrived at my stop. 

After I got off the bus, I looked up  to see many of the passengers looking at me and smiling at me through the windows.

Although I was embarrassed, I was very impressed with the good manners of those two gentlemen.

Wonderful Australia!

Money for smokes?

I saw a homeless person begging near the local railway station. He had a new packet of cigarettes in the pocket of his ragged shirt. 
I wondered if I gave him some money, would he spend it on food, a new shirt... or more cigarettes?

A modern man

One of my co-workers is very proud of being a modern and supportive husband. He often tells me how he helps his wife by doing chores at home, like cleaning and washing. Even though he is quite a senior executive, he decided to display his skills by washing the coffee cups. He loaded up the dishwasher and proudly marched back to his office. 
Later, when I went to make a cup of tea, I was greeted at the kitchen door by a huge bubble tsunami.
My co-worker didn't realise that dishwashers require a special detergent, and not ordinary dish washing liquid.

Friendly Aussies

When we take a taxi In Japan, we always sit in the back seat. The rear passenger door opens automatically for us.

However, I noticed that many Australians often sit in the front seat of taxis and chat to the driver.

The first time I saw this, I was so surprised!

When I am on a plane, sometimes the Aussie passengers who sit next to me, quite often introduce themselves and extend their hands to me and like to have a chat. So friendly!

Most of the Australian passengers are very supportive when I am struggling to put my baggage in the overhead locker.

I don’t see this in Japan so much.

They have no mirror at home.

  

I sometimes see very poorly dressed, overweight women with bra straps showing, pitchy-pitchy (skin-tight) tops and figure hugging tights which reveal every unpleasant curve and bulge. 
They seem quite happy to show off the shape of their bodies, no matter how big they are.  

Spot the Aussie

Some of my friends said to me that they can always spot the Aussies at the airport, because they are the ones wearing thongs on their feet for their overseas trip. 

Even in the CBD of Melbourne, we often see a lot of ladies who wear business suites with rubber flip-flops on naked feet during cold winter.

Fully Sick

 

Young Australian people use a lot of slang. For example, 'sick' means good. Also, they are always saying 'like' all the time between words.

I am not a native English speaker. Speaking like a ventriloquist, speaking too quickly, and using slang makes it impossible for me to understand them at all. Please take it easy on me and speak clearly so I can understand what you are saying.

Like, I feel like, fully sick!

Growing population

 

A large portion of Australia's population is become more and more obese. I quite often see chubby family groups in the supermarket, who are pushing a shopping trolley filled with big bottles of soft drink, and lots of processed food which is high in calories, for example: chips, sugary cereals, chocolate biscuits, cakes, etc. 

Generally speaking, most of the overweight dogs I see, resemble their overweight owners.

③              

Free Range Dogs

 

I recently saw a neighbour taking their dog for a walk, on a leash.

Since I moved to this area, this is a sight I have rarely seen. 

Actually, I wondered if the local council had a special rule to exempt dog owners from using a leash here.

Are all the dogs in this area especially well trained?  

I don’t think so.

Dog poo

I never see dog owner's in my area scooping up their dogs’ waste.

They obviously seem to prefer to be 'Hands Free' when out walking.
The world is not your dog's toilet!
 

A Rare Sighting

 

I was impressed when I saw a neighbour wearing a helmet while riding a push bike. Australian law requires us to always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle, but many people in my area choose to ignore this and like to follow their own rules instead.

 

'My Family' Stickers

I quite often see private cars with 'my family' stickers on their rear windows in Melbourne. They display their family members, pets, etc.

The other day I smiled at the stickers on the car in front of me, when I parked my car on the street.

The sticker showed a small empty space between the father and 3 boys, and I realized a hand written arrow mark was drawn there with the words 'Now recruiting' I thought this was a novel way to advertise for a new partner. 

Mother-in-law's Kiss

 

I heard this story from one of my co-workers. Her mother-in-law visited her place without notice one day, and saw a pot of leftovers on the stove. 

"My boy doesn't like such spicy food!" She said.

"Actually this is your boys favourite!" She wanted to reply, but swallowed her words instead. 

Her story reminded me of an old saying: There is nothing as cold as a mother-in-law's kiss.  

 

Portable Pollution

 

One of my colleagues complained to me about the terrible air pollution he endured during his recent overseas business trip. I thought to myself 'You are obviously unaware of the the smoke on your breath, your clothes and your hair that I have to endure.

Hanoi in Melbourne

The wealthier people in the Melbourne's east tend to look down on those of us living in the western suburbs, or “beyond the river”.

Why?

For the last 4 years I have been living in the western suburbs, but I like many of the features of this location, especially the downtown ambience. I suppose every bird thinks it's own nest is beautiful.

Fresh foods and vegetables are reasonably priced and there are many good Vietnamese and Indian restaurants, etc. It is also close to work – only 15 min by car...Yay!

The cultural diversity here is very different from the east side, “beyond the river”.

Here, nobody is shocked if they see somebody wearing pyjamas at the supermarket. 

I think they accept individuality. People don’t put on airs here.

There are many Vietnamese grocery shops near the railway station.

I was quite shocked soon after I moved in here, to find that a lot of the shop staff cannot speak English. Eventually I started to become familiar with their friendly service and smiling faces.

Now, grocery shopping in my town is one of the most enjoyable weekend activities for me.

I sometimes feel that I am in Hanoi or Saigon, although I have never been to Vietnam.

I am very lucky because I can go overseas on foot, without needing a passport.