Author: Kangaeroo

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    How Paul McCartney Clipped His Wings In Japan

    On this day in 1980…. …ex-Beatle Paul McCartney was arrested in Japan. He was caught with 219 grams of marijuana in his bag at New Tokyo International Airport in Narita, the airport was then known. McCartney had arrived in Japan for a concert tour with his band, Wings. He arrived at Narita after a long flight from London, accompanied by his wife, Linda, and their four kids. Customs officials found marijuana in his luggage during a routine check. The discovery shocked many fans and the media worldwide. He had made little effort to conceal the stash, which was in a suitcase. “This stuff was too good to flush down the…

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    How Did Australians Help Transform The Quiet Japanese Ski Town Of Niseko?

    オーストラリア人はどのように静かなスキーの町・ニセコを変えたのか？ That began to change when Australian skiers started returning home with stories of dry, light snow, uncrowded slopes and a long ski season. Word spread quickly. Friends recommended Niseko to friends, ski clubs organised group trips, and specialist travel companies began offering packages to Hokkaido. In the early 1990s, Niseko was already known among Japanese skiers for its deep powder snow. Yet outside Japan, few people had heard of the small Hokkaido resort. But Australians did more than visit. Many chose to stay. 1990年代初め、ニセコは日本のスキーヤーにはすでによく知られた存在でした。しかし海外では、その名を知る人はほとんどいませんでした。 状況が変わり始めたのは、ニセコを訪れたオーストラリア人スキーヤーが、軽く乾いたパウダースノーや混雑の少ないゲレンデ、長いシーズンの魅力を帰国後に語り始めたことでした。 口コミによって評判は広がり、スキークラブがツアーを企画し、旅行会社も北海道へのスキー旅行を販売するようになりました。 しかし、多くのオーストラリア人は観光客として訪れるだけではありませんでした。 More Than Tourists As visitor numbers grew, Australians saw opportunities beyond skiing. Some opened cafés serving familiar breakfasts and good coffee. Others…

  • Down Under Cobbers On Top In Japanese Business

    A longtime cobber contacted me this morning to let me know about a story of some of the Aussies doing roaring business in Japan; a market that can be tough to crack. I’m not a businessperson, or even remotely entrepreneurial, but I’ve had the pleasure to get to know plenty of Aussies in Japan who have done remarkably well in the Japanese market. Tracey Northcott is a superstar businessperson. I first met her in 2002 when she was running a cracking business centered on the then fledging field of mobile phones. She has since gone from strength to strength, succeeding in one business after another, all while juggling a busy…

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    Why Did Australians Fall in Love with Niseko?

    なぜオーストラリア人はニセコに魅了されたのか？ For many Australians today, Niseko is synonymous with powder snow, winter holidays and a taste of Japan. Yet few realise that Australians played a significant role in introducing this once-quiet corner of Hokkaido to the wider world. The story of Australians and Niseko is not simply about skiing. It is a story of curiosity, cultural exchange and the growing friendship between Australia and Japan. 今日、多くのオーストラリア人にとってニセコは、極上のパウダースノーと冬の休暇を象徴する場所です。しかし、この北海道の静かな地域を世界に知らしめる上で、オーストラリア人が重要な役割を果たしたことはあまり知られていません。 オーストラリア人とニセコの物語は、単なるスキーの話ではありません。好奇心、文化交流、そして日豪の友情の深まりを物語るストーリーです。 A Mountain Hidden in Plain Sight Long before Niseko became an international ski destination, it was primarily known to Japanese skiers. Blessed with abundant snowfall thanks to weather systems crossing the Sea of Japan, the region offered conditions unlike almost anywhere else on…

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    Tiny Tassie Town Gets A Kick Out Of Kiki

    A tiny Tasmanian town once known for its female factory has become a magnet for anime fans around the world because of its apparent connection with a witch. Ross, the town with a population of just over 400 and located just over 100 kilometers north of the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, attracts Studio Ghibli anime fans globally, particularly from Japan. The town’s bread shop is said to be the real-life inspiration for the Gütiokipänja Bakery where Kiki, the young witch titular character of Kiki’s Delivery Service, is said to base her business in the 1989 Studio Ghibli hit. The Ross Village Inn has set up an attic space to mimic…

  • How Molly Meldrum Almost Created A Japanese Juggernaut

    Ian “Molly” Meldrum, one of Australia’s most prominent figures in the popular music world, came within a whisker in 1984 of making a then rising Japanese band reach superstardom while using Down Under as a launching pad to hit the top. Sandii and the Sunsetz had become only the second-ever Japanese act to reach the Top 10 in Australia with their 1983 hit, Sticky Music, but they were about to get kicked out of the country in disgrace. Meldrum, probably one of the world’s best-known rock journalists despite being notorious for poor elocution, stepped in and asked for help on behalf of the band, whose members had overstayed their visas…

  • Event Approvals, Grants On Offer For 50th Anniversary Of Japan-Australia Friendship Treaty

    Japan and Australia are offering grants and approval for certain events to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation between Japan and Australia in 2026. The governments of both countries and the Australia-Japan Foundation are taking all sorts of steps for broad exchange between Japan and Australia, with the active participation of local governments, businesses, private organizations, and others. The countries will recognize events as 50th anniversary events if they meet all of the following criteria: Approved events may identify themselves as Anniversary Events for the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation between Japan and…

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    The Japan-Australia Link As A Fallen Star Became A Black Hole

    Japan has become pretty much synonymous with high quality construction, but that didn’t prove to be in what was supposed to be a star project in Melbourne but ended up being more of a black hole. The 120-meter-high Melbourne Star Ferris wheel was supposed to be a boon for tourism in Australia’s largest city, as well as a strong leap forward for Sanoyas, an Osaka-based shipbuilding company looking to expand into the amusement park business. The Melbourne Star was plagued from the outset. It was supposed to open in 2006, but didn’t start taking customers until two years later. It ran for just 40 days when it was shut down…

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    Monkeying Around With Shared Kobe Steel(e)s

    Of the many commonalities shared by Australia and Japan, perhaps one of the quirkier ones is that both countries are home to a Kobe Steele known for monkeying around. Australia’s Kobe Steele founded the Orangutan Foundation International Australia (OFI Australia), and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2021 for her services to conservation and the environment. Japan’s Kobe Steel Ltd., meanwhile, monkeyed around in a far less noble way, falsifying inspection and quality data on steel, aluminium and copper products for years, affecting hundreds of customers and resulting in billions of yen in fines after causing one of Japan’s most significant industrial quality scandals in recent…