• Strine

    Spring in the Step

    This has been a strange kind of week. Meetings kicked off the week, continued throughout and were punctuated by work and lots of cycling and photography. Oh, yeah. And looking after the pet dinosaur. Amid that, feelings went up and down. Mostly down. Now, as the working week draws to a close, it feels like things are getting better. The next couple of weeks are going to be demanding. The next few months even more so, actually. But for today, things are comparatively calm. And that contentment has put a spring in the step, appropriate considering the season. Related posts:…

  • Strine

    Bloomin’ Wonderful Time

    Cherry blossoms are on the verge of reaching full bloom in the western Tokyo area. The flowers are not quite at their peak, but they are still exquisitely beautiful. Cycling this morning was a delight. Related posts: Lyre, Lyre, Pants on Fire Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto Day 4: Kurokawa to Beppu Riding Along the River Goings On Dino Might! May It Always Be May Aussie Kit Maker Perfuro Storming Onto the Scene San-poses! Plastic Roos and Fuji Views AFL – Modern Australia’s Religion and Failed Proselytizing in Japan Powered by YARPP.

  • Strine

    What To Do?

    When Kangaeroo started back in 2010, the aim was probably to help students understand that American was not the only form of English and that Australians speak Strine. What the aim intended to accomplish remains unknown. At some point, the blog became an area to examine lesser-known aspects of the Japan-Australia relationship. For the first five years of its existence, Kangaeroo.com was updated almost daily. It’s initial aim was not accomplished because I couldn’t get enough people to read it. Same goes for its subsequent purpose, I guess. That probably goes some way to explaining why updates have been sporadic…

  • Strine

    Reflective

    More and more is going on to inspire reflection on life. It’s a constructive development. Life is good when life exists. Realizing it’s good is another matter. Fortunately, for various reasons, it’s becoming easier to find elements of all things to contain the pleasant. It’s not my nature to do this, yet I am finding myself doing it more often. What luck! Related posts: A Second Bite of Biwaichi Japan’s Crucial Role in Turning “Mad Max” into a Global Aussie Icon 憎むのが大好きだった「反豪」豪州人の最後の別れ The Strine Why Atorkin: Natchrule Strine An Aussie Chrissie …ah, so* have a Winfield: The Tiny Tale of…

  • Strine

    Spinning Out Near the Sacred

    Mount Fuji is glorious!For better or worse, like much of the rest of the world, Kangaeroo has been confined to home for the past year due to the covid pandemic.It has not been all woe, though. One benefit is an almost daily opportunity to cycle along the Tama River.There’s a cycling road about 50 kilometers long running for most of the way on both banks of the river, which once served as the Japanese capital’s main water supply.Mount Fuji is notoriously shy and only shows its face with great clarity for a few months each year, unfortunately those times being…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Neighborhood Stroll

    After a warmer than usual winter (despite initially showing signs of being a cold one), spring is suddenly upon us and cherry blossoms have bloomed at one of the earliest times ever, though the covid pandemic prevents them from being widely enjoyed. On the weekend of higan, the vernal or spring equinox, when the day has roughly the same amount of daylight and dark, Tokyo got hit with a horrible spring storm. One benefit of the rain was bringing the opportunity to go for a stroll around the local neighborhood and catching a glimpse of sights like this one. Related…

  • Unknown Nichigo

    Glorious Greeting

    Waking early is never easy, especially as the nights get longer and the temperature cools. But nature sometimes does its best to reward those who drag themselves out from under the covers as the birds begin to sing. The photos here come from one of those times. Related posts: Campbelltown Forest of Wild Birds A Slice of Oz in Sleepy Saitama Shear Fluke! A Rare Aussie Cultural Hit in Japan Nissan Bluebird Oozui: When Australia (Briefly) Exported Cars to Japan A Second Bite of Biwaichi Japan’s Favorite Aussie is Not Quite Who She Seems Lyre, Lyre, Pants on Fire A…

  • Strine Sports

    Riding Along the River

    Summer is not always the most pleasant season in Tokyo as it’s stinking hot, humid and frequently raining. Sometimes, though, nature turns on the charm and you get some delightful goodies. This week’s sunrises have been precisely that. Blessed (?) by a series of bicycle mechanical failures, Kangaeroo.com got a day to take it nice and slowly along the banks of the Tama River forming the boundary between Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture, resulting in these delightful pictures. Related posts: Tour de Kagoshima-Kyoto Day -1A: Tama Hills to Haneda AFL – Modern Australia’s Religion and Failed Proselytizing in Japan Picking Up…

  • Strine - Strine Sports

    Aussie Kit Maker Perfuro Storming Onto the Scene

    Perfuro certainly blew a storm for me! And so it should have, considering the Latin word for storm is the name given to a great line of Aussie cycling gear from the Gold Coast that Kangaeroo.com was lucky enough to get to try out after being picked as a contest winner. Kangaeroo.com doesn’t win too much, so wanted to treat the kit with the reverence it deserved. Perfuro founder Martin Coleman contacted Kangaeroo.com in early June to notify him of the win. Then, 2020 hit again. Japan Post has halted air mail to Australia because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but…

  • Strine

    May It Always Be May

    May is gorgeous in Japan, even this year when the world is confronting the bleak tragedy of the covid-19 outbreak. The warm, dry, mostly sunny month brings some much-needed delight. Related posts: Socceroos to Sing The Blues to Les Bleus WARNING! Awful Song Alert! AFL – Modern Australia’s Religion and Failed Proselytizing in Japan Little Girl’s Story Opens Door to Aussie Animal Boom in Japan シドニーが年中で最も輝く一日 Japan’s Crucial Role in Turning “Mad Max” into a Global Aussie Icon …ah, so* have a Winfield: The Tiny Tale of Aussie Durries in Japan A Breakout Performance Focusing on Australia’s Cowra 日豪味深い映画「ウルヴァリン: SAMURAI」の和風ポスター盗難問題…