Having lived and worked in Japan myself many years ago, and having taught many many students from Japan over the years, I was already quite familiar with Japanese culture and the Japanese character. However, my impression was that Eri was not necessarily your typical Japanese girl, suggested by her profession of Dance Psychotherapist.
It also turns out that Eri is from Nara, my favourite place I've been to in Japan and one of the best examples of traditional old Japan. Most Japanese people you meet are from one of the large urban agglomerations that are so much a hallmark of modern Japan, so it was interesting to meet someone from a quieter, more reflective environment.
It's always interesting to hear about where people come from and how that and early life experiences may have shaped the path they followed later. Contact with kids of a family friend who lived in America and a a week in Seattle at 13 years, aroused a curiousity about other ways of living in Eri. By the time she arrived in Tasmania, she had already spent several years working and living in Germany and studying in London, and then traveling in India.
After all these years abroad and marrying a local Tasmanian, who had never left the country before, Eri experienced a bit of "reverse cultural shock" on going back to Japan to live with her husband. It was really interesting to hear Eri's reflections on the challenges of re-adapting to life in Japan, and more particularly, helping her husband to bridge the gap between cultures. I think some people might even get a little smile, as I did, from the thing that struck Eri the most on her return to Japan ( no spoilers, listen for yourself).
Please take a listen !
