Hi everyone! Today I would like to write about going to Tasmania last December with my family. The reason that I wanted to go was to meet my friend, Minako-san. I happened to know her from a business coaching group that we both attended.
Pic.1: This is a picture I took from my flight as we were getting closer to the land of Tasmania!
Minako-san and her husband, Duncan-san have been promoting Japanese culture to the community and Japanese people living in Hobart, Tasmania for more than 10 years. Duncan-san is the Dojo-cho (headmaster) of the Bushinkan Tasmania Toku Bu Ryu Sui Dojo. He teaches Kobudou (古武道), a traditional martial art of Japanese Jujutsu and Bukijutsu (weapon) teaching. He has been practicing Kobudou (古武道) for nearly 40 years and lived in Japan for 10 years. His school is open to all ages and genders. He also offers a “Ninja Class” for younger children to learn ninjutsu in a fun way!
Click here for more about Bushinden Tasmania!
Minako-san is an expert on teaching how to wear traditional Japanese clothes (kimono), as well as Japanese tea ceremony（茶道), traditional Japanese confectionary (Wagashi：和菓子), and making and wearing traditional Japanese summer clothes (Yukata). She also offers fun events such as outings while wearing Kimono. She also collaborates with a Japanese calligraphy teacher to host Japanese cultural events during school holidays for local families who have younger children. Click here for more about Minako-san’s Sakura Japanese Culture Centre!
I admire Minako-san’s family and their work offering such an enriched Japanese culture program for their community. Since I’m interested in sharing Japanese culture overseas, I wanted to visit their dojo and culture center with my family to learn more.
After transfering in Guangzhou, we arrived in Sydney after about a 10-hour flight. We stayed in Sydney for several days and then took a domestic flight to Tasmania.
Tasmania is famous for having the cleanest air in the world. Since we live in China, I felt so grateful that we were able to take deep breaths of such clean and fresh air.
In Hobart, Tasmania, there are many historical buildings that were built during the British colonial period.
It was chillier than I expected! Minako-san said there is wind from the South Pole, so Tasmania gets colder winds. I was suprised but also so excited feeling the cold wind knowing it was from the South Pole!
We had a beach blanket so my daughter wrapped herself with it to keep warm!
And finally, I could meet Minako-san in person in Tasmania!
She invited me to her favorite cafe and treated me to delicious coffee and a beautiful dessert!
We met in person for the first time but we couldn’t stop chatting! hehe We had so many topics that we wanted to share with each other, such as the hardships of living overseas as a foreigner, learning English, our identities as Japanese, and also how to continue teaching Japanese to our children. We talked a lot until the cafe was almost closed for the day!
The next day, we visited Tasmania Budokan to meet Minako-san and Duncan-san. Duncan-san’s Dojo, Tasmania Bushinkan, is on the second floor of Tasmania Budokan. I was so surprised that the dojo was full of antique Japanese swords, armor, and more!
Duncan-san has been collegting these items for decades! I felt that this place is like a Japanese historical museum! It was truly amazing!
We also visited Minako-san’s workplace, Sakura Japanese Culture Center. Minako-san offered to dress us in Yukata (traditional Japanese summer clothes) and provide a Japanese tea ceremony experience for us.
It had been a while since my children had a chance to wear Yukata. I was so happy to see them enjoying the Yukata!
Thank you so much Minako-san for helping my kids wear the Yukata!
They dressed up so nice with the Yukata, but they started doing cartwheels and running around right away…. hehe
We also had an opportunity to experience an authentic Japanese tea ceremony!
Minako-san makes Nerikiri Wagashi on her own. Nerikiri Wagashi is a traditional confectionary that is served at Japanese tea ceremonies with a bowl of matcha. She made Nerikiri Wagashi in the shape of a Tasmanian Devil for our tea ceremony. They were so cute! This was such a surprise because I know it is so hard to find the ingredients to make traditional Japanese sweets in Tasmania.
I had a Nerikiri Wagashi representing Tasmania’s beach! While I was tasting the Nerikiri Wagashi, I remembered our fun time playing at the beach with my family.
Minako-san made delicious matcha tea for all of us. Thank you so much…!
Bowing to each other before my husband tasted the matcha.
My daughter bows in thanks to Minako-san as she received her homemade sweets for the tea ceremony.
My youngest thanked Duncan-san as she received a freshly made bowl of matcha.
My daughters loved the matcha that was freshly made by Minako-san! They even wanted a 2nd bowl…! hehe
I know it was hard to sit on the floor in the traditional way (Seiza:正座) for a long time for my children, but I was so grateful that they had the opportunity to experience Japanese tea ceremony. I also appreciated the peaceful time in the tea room that we usually can’t experience in our daily lives. We also loved the smell of tatami mats; it brought me back to my home.
When I watched my daughters bowing to each other before and after receiving their bowls of matcha, I realized that we rarely bow when we are outside Japan. However, bowing is an important Japanese custom that truly shows respect and expresses gratitude toward others. This is not something you often experience in daily life—the feeling of gratitude while sitting in a peaceful room where people have worked hard to prepare the event for us. Waiting quietly and patiently for your turn to receive the tea deepens that appreciation. This experience reminded me once again of an important lesson: Japanese culture values respect and mindfulness in every moment. At Minako-san’s place, Sakura JCC, you can learn about many aspects of Japanese culture. Thinking about all the Japan lovers and those eager to learn who will visit Sakura JCC makes me so happy.
Also one of our memories in Hobart was that Minako-san’s son and my daughters had a really good time playing hide and seek and playing the card game UNO together! We also went to the beach and enjoyed collecting sea glass and shells. Even now, my daughters talk about him and wonder how he is doing in Tasmania.
We enjoyed ice cream together at a local store for our last day! I ordered the honey comb flavor!
Time flies so fast. It is already March in 2025. I feel like we went to Tasmania just yesterday. I saw a short video that Minako-san posted on her Instagram about their first Japanese tea ceremony (お初釜) for the new year with her Kimono members at a Japanese garden in Tasmania. I really felt that they are enjoying a peaceful time through the tea ceremony.
When we visited them last December, it was during the holiday season and family time. It was surely the busiest time for them… but we really appreciate their kindness. Minako-san’s homecooked dinner was the best!
Thank you so much, Minako-san and Duncan-san for having all of us at Tasmania and sharing some of your precious time with us … ! I really hope that we can see you all again in Japan or Tasmania!
Lastly, I want to share some memorable pictures from our trip.
Our first time experiencing the holidays in summer in Tasmania!
Salamanca Market in Hobart. I bought a lot of souvenirs at this supermarket!
Blue skies, fluffy clouds, green mountains and the vast ocean. Tasmania is so beautiful.
We saw many stone monuments in town. My daughter was enjoying to know about true stories that were written on the stone.
My daughters enjoyed looking for small flowers in the soft grass.
I enjoyed flat white lattes so much during our trip!
Saw the coffee vendor just outside the airport! So nice! I would love to have coffee at every airport like Tasmania does!
Fish & Chips!
Saw these beautiful flowers during our day trip in Hobart with Minako-san’s family.
Pavlova! Minako-san made this cake for us! It was delicious!
Henna Art experience at a local market in Hobart!
A new notebook that she bought at a local book store. Her sister helped her write an imaginary story about pizza-man. hehe
Playing in a local playground. We didn’t mind the light rain!
Tasmanian honey mustard!
Duncan-san and Minako-san gifted us KitKat chocolate with Tasmanian mint and vegemite! They gave us Tasmanian cookies as well but we ate them all and forgot to take pictures…! I bought a jar of fruit mince that is made from Tasmanian fruits! Hoping to make Christmas mince pies in the future!
Thank you for reading my blog!
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