 EDITOR'S CHOICE
Dear jstyle,
Having just recently discovered your magazine I would like to offer my thanks to your team for producing a fantastic and long overdue publication for the great many Australians who need to keep informed about all things Japanese. As a Japanese teacher, it is important that we are kept up to date with current events and your magazine does this job with aplomb, providing a good cross-section of issues which appeal to all reader demographics.
Unfortunately, after reading through the magazine with renewed interest in Japan, I was keen to take my family to one of the events listed in your calendar, or to try a new restaurant but, alas, almost nothing was listed for us poor Victorians! Surely there are readers (and businesses) out there who would appreciate the exposure you are able to deliver not just for Sydneysiders, but all Australia.
But hey, who am I to judge? I think it says a lot about Australia in the 21st century that a historically divisive publication like The Bulletin has made way for something which embraces cultural diversity and opens our eyes and ears to the world.
Happy first birthday.
Daniel Paxton
Ballarat, VIC
Dear jstyle,
Thank you for your article on recycling in Tokyo in the last issue of jstyle.
It is interesting that Tokyo residents sort their recycling into 10 or 12 separate containers. This used to be the way in German cities and to a certain extent in Sydney. However, more and more often in Sydney now, particularly in North Sydney, even if the recycling is sorted into three or four containers, as the council requires, it all seems to end up being lumped together again in the same truck. One wonders if it is being recycled or dumped in landfill.
Your article quotes Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara as saying "We are facing a serious environmental crisis," which was the attitude of most Sydney local government leaders in the 1990s because of a crisis in landfill facilities. Now that a new place has been found to dump Sydney's wastes the crisis seems to have "disappeared". Perhaps we need to take a lesson from Tokyo which, because of its population density of 6000 people per square kilometre compared with Sydney's 346 people per square kilometre, has a much more urgent problem.
I will look forward to the next part in the jstyle series on environmental initiatives in Japan. If Japan can handle the challenges, perhaps the jstyle articles should be required reading for Sydney local government leaders.
Patrick Fitzgerald
North Sydney, NSW
Dear jstyle,
jstyle has certainly taken off as a convenient travel companion - particularly among my friends and I. Some of us recently made a brief end-of-year trip to Japan, and your previous Tokyo travel special came in as extremely insightful - even challenging!
After reading about the intriguing Zen craze and the opportunity to experience it first-hand, my mates and I decided to give it a try. Little did we know that this "experience" involved the actual process of "doing" rather than simply "watching". So, after a delightful introduction to Zen from one of the local monks, we relaxed and took our meditating marks. One of my friends - thinking that she wasn't being watched - sneakily shifted out of the traditional Zen stance and loosened into a hunched heap on the floor. Seconds later, a monk came round with a wooden stick to give her a disciplined tap on the back - a practice they traditionally do - which certainly made her literally "jump" back into position. We all found it hilarious, but the overall experience itself was definitely a must as a wonderful cultural insight!
Also on a side note, I look forward to hopefully seeing jstyle expand to other parts of Australia in the near future. Some of the friends I traveled with to Japan are studying in other states, and commented on how they would absolutely love to have access to such a magazine after reading through my copy.
Keep the exciting travel challenges coming!
Nicola Doherty
Paddington, NSW
Dear jstyle,
After reading your magazine my search for authentic Japanese cuisine has ended! When I went to Japan to visit some friends, they took me to many high-end Japanese restaurants to try and give me the best dining experience. Don't get me wrong, the food at those restaurants was amazing (and quite bizarre at times), but I was wondering what people ate locally and wanted to taste a real home-cooked Japanese meal. Then one of my friends took me to an "izakaya" and I absolutely loved it. It resembled a small tavern and most of the food was served in small portions so I could try many different kinds all at once. The food was simple and yet delicious. The whole place was filled with people chatting and laughing which reflected its warm and casual atmosphere.
Since coming back to Sydney, I have searched for the same experience but was unsuccessful till I saw the advertisement in jstyle for JuJu, a Japanese izakaya in Kings Cross. The place and the food were so similar to the izakaya in Japan that I brought all my friends there and am now a regular myself. Thank you for reconnecting me with this experience again!
Susan Rickman
Randwick, NSW
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The Editor's choice for best letter
The writer of the winning letter in jstyle's next issue will receive an Onitsuka Tiger Rope Backpack. It features many pockets in the front and an earphone cable hole on its side pocket. At 30x40cm it can hold up to 15 litres in volume.
rrp: $79.95
Letters to jstyle should be no longer than 250 words and sent to Nichigo Press, PO Box A2612, Sydney South NSW 1235 or emailed to npeditor@nichigo.com.au Please include your name, suburb, state and a daytime phone number for letter verification. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. |
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