September 13th, 2026Just sayin’…

I loved reading about David Hall’s epic journey across Asia and Europe – and the release of his book about his escapades. Head back to page 13 for a really great read.
Journalist Kevin Childs sums it up well, saying that trips of that nature are no longer possible due to political and social upheaval.
I never did anything like that but it did remind me of heading to Japan in my early 20s. I know every man, and woman, and their dog, have been to Japan now but this was before the www’s, Facebook, live chats, email…
I had applied to the Japanese Ministry of Education for a position as an Assistant English Teacher (AET) and failed to get the job. Oh well, I was on my way in my journalism career and had no great interest in Japan. (Mum made me apply.)
But then I got a call out of the blue saying someone had dropped out and I was in. Could I be at Tullamarine Airport the following Monday for the flight out and a year away?
Hmmm. I had never lived out of home and now I was travelling to a very, at the time, exotic place for a whole year – with not a jot of Japanese speaking ability. OMG. What had I done?
I like the saying ‘go hard or go home’ so I went hard. I broke up with my boyfriend of six years, quit my job as the editor of the Mornington Leader and, as an asthmatic, got a stack of scripts for a host of medications to keep me breathing.
And then I was on the Qantas plane, and landing at Narita Airport where I was met by not one, but three, business-suited men, none of whom spoke English.
We drove, quietly, to my new home in Ome, about two hours away, and they left me at my new apartment, with a futon rolled out, and instructions to be at the front door by 7.30am for my first day at work.
I remember looking out the window at the hills over the way, and down the street with all of its shop awnings covered with strange writing – and feeling absolutely elated.
I talked to other AETs over the next few weeks, as we gathered at gaijin (foreigner) friendly bars and heard lots of different stories.
One bloke, who looked as tough as nails, said he spent his first night crying, wishing he was back in America. Another girl, from Wales, said she managed to throw up on her principal’s shoes as she bowed, from anxiety. But mostly we were young, having fun and being well paid to be in this very exciting but hard to navigate country.
I bought a book before I left, Solo Japan, and at the back it had little tear out pieces with Japanese phrases for things like ‘please take me to ….’ and you asked a Japanese teacher to fill in the blank in kanji (Japanese characters). Too easy I thought, until a taxi driver told me to get out because ‘no English!’. I kept pointing to my bit of paper, to no avail.
Buses were always a fun way to travel. You had to listen as best you could and hope you picked up on the name of the stop you wanted to get off at. It turned out to be a great way to see the country – because you rarely ended up where you wanted to be.
But the Japanese people were amazingly friendly and warm and as helpful as anyone could ask for. The people of Ome were very happy to see me because we had a real connection – there had been a POW camp in the town during WWII.
Not quite the connection I wanted but shou ga nai, ne. Just sayin’…