Great Southern Land

Having lived in Japan for more than seven years, it’s fair to say that I’ve become well and truly accustomed to life here. The fact that this is my second time in Japan is a testament to my love for the country. Accordingly, I’m not one to feel homesick for my home country too often. It’s an interesting question, though, to ponder what (if anything) I do miss about Australia.

If anything makes me homesick, it would be cricket season in Australia. The summer months from November to February evoke memories of chasing leather in the field on scorching hot Saturday afternoons in my youth, and right through my adult years. The aspect of playing cricket that I enjoyed the most was the camaraderie of spending time with my teammates, some of whom were close friends off the field as well. They were people who shared my love of watching international cricket, so we could offer our armchair commentaries on which batsmen were in danger of being dropped from the team, and which bowlers were failing to get the job done with the ball.

In contrast, it’s not possible to watch live international cricket matches in Japan, but YouTube has been my savior in this regard because Cricket Australia uploads superb quality highlights and interview videos. In addition, the ABC (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) now offers live stream radio commentary podcasts of international matches, which allows me to enjoy the sounds of summer in Australia on my own smartphone.

Something else that can bring back fond memories from home is listening to certain songs by Australian bands and artists. One of the most obvious songs was the source of this article’s title “Great Southern Land” by the 80s rock band Icehouse. Another obvious one is “Holy Grail” by the band Hunters and Collectors, which later became the unofficial anthem of the AFL (Australian Football League). A less obvious one is “Leaps and Bounds” by Paul Kelly, which references some locations in my hometown of Melbourne. What the genre of “Oz Rock” (Australian rock) has in common, though, is a strong sense of place. The listener can easily picture the harsh, barren nature of the Australian outback when listening to these songs.

Finally, there are some foods from Australia that I occasionally miss. One of these is a good old Four’n Twenty meat pie with tomato sauce, which is the perfect accompaniment to watching a cricket match live at a stadium. Another is a Chicken Parma (Parmigiana), which is a classic pub meal in Australia and consists of a chicken breast covered in breadcrumbs, with a melted cheese and tomato paste topping. It is typically served with a side of hot chips and a salad and is a comforting meal to eat at any time of the year.

In summary, homesickness is something that I have rarely experienced while living in Japan, but sport, music and food are three aspects of Australian culture that can occasionally bring back fond memories of home. On the whole, though, there is too much to like about Japanese culture to dwell on these points for too long.

Ming

Vocabulary
evoke (verb) – to bring a particular idea, emotion or memory into your mind
camaraderie (noun) – friendship and trust between people in a group
barren (adjective) – a dry and empty place with few plants
dwell on (phrasal verb) – to spend a lot of time thinking or talking about something unpleasant