Unknown Nichigo

Learn more about the lesser-known aspects of the Japan-Australia relationship.
日本とオーストラリアの関係に隠れた、あまり知られていない側面についてもっと知ってみよう

  • |

    Tokyo’s Strange Socceroos

    Japan has a strange affinity when it comes to using Australian animals for its advertising. A number of major Japanese corporations use koalas and roos to plug their products and services. One with a difference is Hayashi Corporation, a construction company with a history of over 100 years and based in suburban Tokyo. Hayashi Corporation’s Fuchu branch office entrance is adorned with photos of a family of cartoon kangaroos decked out in soccer gear, just like Australia’s national football team, the Socceroos. Japan’s next opponent in World Cup qualifying is Australia, but there’s no connection. What is interesting to note, though, is that the kangaroos had been painted over until…

  • |

    Japan’s Crucial Role in Turning “Mad Max” into a Global Aussie Icon

    Turning the clock back 40 years, Japan played a crucial role in giving Australia a leg-up toward becoming a player in the global movie industry. In late 1977, a couple of fledgling Australian filmmakers pooled their meager funds and shot a movie starring mostly unknown young actors and actual motorcycle gang members serving as extras. Almost two years later, Mad Max opened Australian theaters and became a steady, but controversial hit. The car action movie was immediately banned in New Zealand as some of its motorcycle gang violence resembled actual events in the market most closely resembling Australia’s. Australia’s movie industry was in the middle of a growing renaissance, backed…

  • An Aussie Touch to a Landmark Japanese TV Show

    Australia provided an (admittedly unacknowledged) touch to Monster Prince (怪獣王子), one of Japan’s most popular TV shows in the late 1960s. Monster Prince told the story of Takeru Ibuki, a boy left stranded on a tropical island while a baby when his family is caught in a volcanic eruption and subsequently raised by dinosaurs living there. Together with his brontosaurus friend, Nessie, Takeru defends the island, and by extension the Earth, from invading aliens. And that’s where the Australian touch comes in…Takeru’s weapon of choice is a boomerang! The show ran for two series and was made by Nihon Tokusatsu Kabukikaisha. The role of Takeru was shared by twins, Yoshinori…

  • |

    Little Girl’s Story Opens Door to Aussie Animal Boom in Japan

    Back in the early ’80s Australia did not command a great deal of attention in Japan (to be honest, it still doesn’t command that great a presence to this day…) Things changed, however, with the launch of Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow. Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow was an anime by Nippon Animation that aired weekly from January 10 to December 26, 1982. The cartoon told the story of Lucy-May Popple and her family, who had emigrated from Yorkshire to live in Adelaide, Australia. The story was based on a book called Southern Rainbow by Australian author Phyllis Piddington. The anime would be translated into numerous languages and aired in…

  • Arse Wind?

    Walking along Route 246, I was surprised to look up and see the katakana script reading アースウィンド！ 　びっくり仰天だった！ アースis, in English, arse…or, so I thought. Arse wind, then, could only mean one thing….surely a company couldn’t have named itself after a fart? Of course it didn’t. In fact, アース is also the reading for earth. That makes Earth Wind a little easier to comprehend, even if the English is still a little awkward.

  • |

    Rainbow Over Allah And Putting A Tiger In The Tank

    Work slowed down and it was a little easier to enjoy life, which allowed for stopping to smell the roses and capturing such opportunities as a rainbow shining above the Tokyo Mosque and beefing up Bargearse the bike. Mrs. Kangaeroo and I also got to visit an exhibition by the delightful Kyoichi Tsuzuki, who has been chronicalling Japan’s quirky side for decides. He was showing displays from hihokan, the now vanishing but once almost ubiquitous sex museums across Japan. Bargearse, meanwhile, my erstwhile fat bike, got an upgrade with tiger decorations, taking over from a predecessor pedallar that piqued my interesting in pedalling.

  • | |

    Pigging Out On Pie Face And ‘Ello Elton

    It was a bit of a landmark month as Aussie meet pies went on sale in central Tokyo as Pie Face opened a store in Shibuya, while down the road in Yokohama I got an unexpected chance to see Elton John live. The pies were tasty, but a bit pricey, yet my workmates humored me with a visit there to dine together as the restaurant is within short walking distance of our office. Elton, meanwhile, wasn’t someone I was overly keen on seeing, but I was pleased to get the chance. He was basically going through the motions, though, and didn’t really put on a dazzling display. Having received a…

  • |

    Crafted Kangaroos and Tiger Shoes

    I was delighted to discover an arty ceramic kangaroo being sold at a store near the office, but the asking price put it out of my range despite my desire to possess anything marsupial. I also got to witness the upshot of a drunk driver who rammed into a Shinjuku restaurant, incurring the wrath of another bystander when I took a photo of the carnage (with no human casualties). And a workmate and I crafted a pair of tiger striped shoes! (She did most of the work, and ALL of it that required any dexterity).