What would you miss about Japan if you returned to your home country?

I was born in Australia, and I developed an interest in Japan during high school. This was thanks to a love of PlayStation games like Final Fantasy and an interest in drawing Japanese cartoons. I decided to start learning Japanese in high school and I fell in love with the language straight away. At that time, little did I know that I would end up living in Japan long term! I have been living in Japan for a combined total of over 10 years. While I do get homesick from time to time, Japan feels like my home now and it is the place where I want to build my life. If one day, for some reason, I had to return to Australia to live, there are many things I would miss about Japan.

Other than of course the friends I have made here, I would miss the four distinct seasons of Japan. While Australia does have four seasons, the seasons are so much more distinct in Japan thanks to things like cherry blossoms, cicadas, autumn leaves and snow. I love how there is something to look forward to about each season in Japan, whether it be hearing the sound of the cicadas singing as you walk past a local park in summer, sparkly Christmas light displays in winter, or eating nashi pears in autumn. I love the way that, thanks to these distinct seasons, you can feel the passing of time more acutely here in Japan. This is one of my favourite things about living in Japan and I would miss it a lot if I had to leave. I hope that, as I continue to live in Japan year after year, I won’t start to take these things for granted.

Another thing that I would miss if I had to return to Australia is being able to walk home from the train station at night alone. Australia is not as dangerous as some other countries, but unfortunately there are some dreadful crimes that occur, and it is not safe for women to walk alone at night. In Australia there are various precautions that many women take to stay safe when they go out alone and there are many things they need to think about or be aware of. For example, many women carry their keys in their hands when they walk to their cars at night to use as a weapon if needed. Many women also have a plan of what they would do if they noticed someone following them, for example, pretending to get a phone call and giving the person their location. These things are just common sense to many Australia women. However, in Japan I don’t think many women would think this way or do these things. One of the things I am most thankful for about living in Japan is that I do not have to be so careful and worried, especially when I am by myself at night. While of course crimes do occur in Japan so it is good to still be a little careful, I feel so much freer and safer when I travel alone and I would really miss having this freedom and independence if I had to leave. I really hope that Japan continues to be such a safe place!

Belinda

Vocabulary
distinct (adjective) - easily or clearly heard, seen, felt, etc.
acutely (adverb) - noticing or feeling something very strongly
take (someone/something) for granted (phrase) - be so used to somebody/something that you do not recognize their true value anymore and do not show that you are grateful
precaution (noun) – steps taken in advance to prevent something bad, dangerous or unpleasant from happening
common sense (noun) - the ability to think about things in a practical way and make sensible decisions