Pictured: Norm with Sakamoto Ryoma in Kochi
My Japan: A Journey Through Time and Experience
Early Encounters with Japanese Culture
My first interaction with Japanese culture began when my family hosted several exchange students while my children attended primary school in Brisbane. Over several years in the 1980s, we welcomed these students into our home, and each time, the experience was one of meaningful sharing and connection.
My personal journey to Japan commenced when my 13-year-old daughter, then in junior high school, was selected, quite unexpectedly, to attend a student conference in Osaka in October 1991 as a guest of the Osaka Prefecture government. Naturally, I accompanied her as her chaperone and bag carrier, and that initial short six-day visit sparked a deeper curiosity in me and led to more than 20 trips to Japan.
Memorable Experiences and Reflections
My travels took me to the Port of Humanity Museum in Tsuruga, Fukui city—a place where refugees fleeing the Nazi regime were granted transit visas by diplomat Chiune Sugihara during World War II. Sugihara defied protocol and paid a steep price in Japan but was later honoured as one of the ‘Righteous Among Nations’ in another country.
Also I enjoyed sharing tea on tatami mats in my cosy minshuku with my Japanese language tutor. He was keen to improve his English, perhaps even more so than I was to learn Japanese.
With each visit, my understanding of Japan has deepened, however I am ever aware that I have only just begun to scratch the scratch on the surface. Along the way, I have collected both trivial and precious memories, including enjoying the hospitality of salarymen at izakaya as they ritually celebrated with their staff upon receiving annual bonuses, and volunteering to lecture to both the elderly and schoolchildren about English language and Australian culture.
I have also experienced moments of deep sorrow, visiting friends on their deathbeds, writing condolence notes to the families they left behind, and welcoming new-borns into the rituals of Buddhism, Shintoism, and Christianity. Throughout these experiences, I have been consistently rewarded by the joy, kindness and generosity of Japanese people from all walks of life. And I particularly enjoy welcoming Japanese on my Brisbane Greet walks in my home city.
While I do not claim expertise, I have continued to share what I have learned. In recent years, I was inspired to conduct a year-long course in 2025, with the help of AJS members, for the University of The Third Age (U3A) in Brisbane, focusing on Japanese History and Culture. It was a truly enjoyable endeavour.
Conclusion
“Every day is a journey and the journey itself is home.”
Matsuo Basho (1644-1699) – ‘Narrow Road to the Deep North’
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Norm Boniface is retired with a background in civil engineering, transport planning & policy, specialising in aviation, airports and logistics in his later working life. After 42 years of apprenticeship, he volunteers as an English language tutor at Southbank TAFE, studies history at U3A and conducts Brisbane Greeter walks, when he is not in Japan.