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

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    Japan’s Fans Still Go Mad For Australia’s Most Successful Film Franchise

    One of the most outstanding characteristics I have found of many Japanese people in almost four decades of living here is that it is highly common for fun to be taken very seriously, indeed. One area where I have seen that trait on display comes with the franchise related to Mad Max, whose five movies dating from 1979’s Mad Max to Furiosia: A Mad Max Saga in 2024 make it the most successful Australian cinematic series in history. In fact, had it not been for avid fans in Japan, the franchise would probably not have continued past the first entry, but Mad Max has also given back to Japan, inspiring…

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    Oh, Maggie I Should Have Known! Bubble Era Tokyo’s Aussie Haven

    When I first got to Japan in the late 1980s, Australia was hot property–mainly in a literal sense for real estate investment, but also for honeymooners and koala fans. But finding anything “Australian” in Tokyo was bloody hard and homesickness particularly strong in those days, so I was deeply grateful for Maggie’s Revenge and the kangaroo awning that advertised the establishment. Maggie’s Revenge was an Aussie-themed bar in the Roppongi nightclub district of Tokyo, which was a bit of a drag for me to get to as I was living in the northern part of the capital at the time. Sometimes, you could buy a meat pie there, and always…

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    A Symbol Of Japan That Fits Australia Like A Shoe

    Given the powerful pull of the surf culture in Australia, a link with Katsushika Hokusai‘s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa that immediately conveys an image of Japan was almost inevitable, but also symbolizes the strong ties between the two countries almost made for each other. Countless Australian companies, organizations, entrepreneurs, artists and others utilize or have utilized directly or derivatively the iconic Japanese work forming one of Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Even though the Great Wave is an instantly recognizable image that embodies the essence of Japanese spirit, particularly with the inclusion of Mount Fuji, Australia has long recognized the work as a shared connection between the countries….

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    Jumping At Chances Through A Yen For Kangaroos

    Vacel Inc. is a Tokyo company with a yen for kangaroos, literally and figuratively speaking, as well as a track record with marsupials that leaps from sporting fields to dining tables. The trading and manufacturing company specializing in kangaroo derived products started off in April 1980 as a specialist in kangaroo leather products mostly for soccer boots and then expanded over the subsequent decades to encompass all sorts of businesses including marsupial meat. Vacel imports, manufactures and sells kangaroo leather, develops FabRoo 0.3 mm ultra-thin leather, operates the RooMeat brand for kangaroo meat for human and pet consumption, and provides market-entry and liaison services for overseas companies in Japan. Vacel…

  • My Heavenly Hometown, Hounded By Hitler

    With time on hand recently, I was going through historical records of the small Australian village where I spent my childhood and got a profound shock. I discovered the sleepy little hamlet I’d believed to have been a cosy resort area for day trips out of Melbourne had also been a breeding ground of Teutonic terror in the years immediately before World War II. Belgrave is located about 40 km east of Melbourne’s central business district and is a tourist-commuter town to this day with the bulk of its visitors coming to ride on the Puffing Billy Railway, a steam train that starts its trips from the village. Belgrave has…

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    Melburnian’s Kagawa Kangaroo Business Is Bounding

    Melburnian Suliana Tesi Nakamura looks to be doing very nicely operating Kangaroo K.K., an English conversation school and real estate business located in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, where she has lived since 2011. Aussie Nakamura’s choice of the kangaroo for her company and logo is pretty bloody obvious, and a logical choice for the woman who moved to Japan in 2005 and taught English in Tokyo before moving to her current location. Nakamura worked in real estate Down Under and is using her multicultural background to leverage her multifaceted business now. The appearance of any company, organization, or individual on Kangaeroo.com does not constitute an endorsement, approval, or criticism of that…

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    Nissan’s Fine Fragrance From Perfumed Kangaroos

    Automaker Nissan Motor Co. has long used kangaroos in its advertising, particularly in the early 2010s and notably when enlisting the aid of technopop girl group Perfume, which was then at the peak of its popularity. Nissan stylized Perfume’s three members–Kashiyuka, A-chan and Nocchi–as pink kangaroos to promote its Serena, Note and Cube models. Perfume used the opportunity for a cross-promotion of their then-newly released single, Voice, which would go on to reach No. 2 on the Oricon national charts. The campaign aimed to get the attention of a young, pop-loving audience who enjoyed animated characters and prompt them into visiting a Nissan dealership. The ad ran from July 14,…

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    Japan’s Mobs Of Macropod Motifs Missing Marsupials In Masterpieces

    Something strikes me about kangaroos in Japan, where companies like Seino and Nikko Kanko have made the marsupials highly visible. Kangaroos are possibly even higher profile than their native Australia, where Qantas uses the national symbol in its logo, but the macropod is a somewhat uncommon sight elsewhere in the corporate sector. I wouldn’t go so far as to say kangaroos are a ubiquitous presence in the Japanese retail or corporate sector, but it would be no exaggeration to claim they are a daily presence. Far more so, actually, than they are in Australia. That got me to thinking about the presence of kangaroos in the Japanese art world, which…

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    Australia’s ‘Voice’ So Close Yet So Far To Japan

    豪州の“ザ・ヴォイス”、日本ではあと一歩届かず John Farnham is probably the most successful solo male singer Australia has ever produced. Despite decades of Australia producing performers who achieved global superstardom, Farnham never quite joined their ranks. But he came tantalizingly close early in his career with a launchpad from Japan. ジョニー・ファーナムは、おそらくオーストラリアが生んだ最も成功した男性ソロ歌手だと言っていいでしょう。世界的スーパースターを何人も輩出してきたオーストラリアですが、ファーナムはなぜかその仲間入りには至りませんでした。でもキャリア初期、日本がそのきっかけになり得る大舞台を用意してくれていたのです。 Farnham has long been “The Voice” of Australian pop music. The now-retired star is renowned in Australia almost without exception for at least two things: a singing capacity so great he is commonly referred to as “The Voice;” and for being a delightfully warm and friendly person. When prolific Aussie songwriter Brian Cadd penned the powerful “Don’t You Know It’s Magic” and earned entry…

  • Aussies, Look And Learn! Japanese Cleanup Of Melbourne Was By Residents, Not Tourists

    オージー、見習いなさいよ！街のごみ拾い日本人が観光客じゃなく、一緒に住んでいる住民だよ The Herald-Sun (among multiple media outlets) is rightfully lauding a group of Japanese people for cleaning up the streets of Melbourne. But the Hun is wrongfully claiming they’re tourists. They aren’t. The civic-minded bunch are mostly residents of Melbourne who devote their own time to volunteer and clean up the city in an act other Aussies should take good heed. オーストラリアの新聞「ヘラルド・サン」が、メルボルンの街を清掃する日本人グループを称賛している。ただし、同紙は彼らを「観光客」と紹介しており、そこには誤りがある。実際には、このグループの多くはメルボルン在住者であり、ボランティアとして自主的に清掃活動に取り組んでいる人々だ。 The group cleaning the streets was a collection of residents, many of who belong to a Facebook group whose stated aim is to foster a love for Melbourne. この市民グループは、メルボルンを愛する気持ちを広めることを目的とするFacebookグループ「メルボルンにいる日本人集まれ！」のメンバーが中心となっている。参加者たちは見返りを求めることなく、街の美化のために貴重な時間を割き、活動を続けている。 These quiet achievers give up their valuable time to get together and work to keep the streets clean with…