Brodey Taylor from Mossman High School dropped in this week for Year 10 work experience and reflected on why convincing his Mum and Dad to visit Japan last year has created a lasting passion for the unique country.

Being born in Melbourne in 1999, I guess I am technically a Victorian resident, though I still go by FNQ being my home as I’ve lived here my whole life. My name is Brodey Taylor, a young 15 year old lad from Port Douglas. Yes, Port Douglas is great and all, but just like those selfies you took on your phone some time ago, you tend to crave something new.

In 2014 I was in my 4th year of studying the Japanese language, so I convinced my parents to go on a family trip over to the land of the rising sun, hoping to improve my Japanese.

The process of travelling overseas was long and exhausting but worth the wait. From growing up in a small rural town to arriving in a place so bright and loud was like another world. People crowded the streets speaking a language almost foreign, buildings with bright lights beaming off each other.

Even the trains were a novelty, in the way they could race in and out of stations with almost no time to get on before the doors shut and you just had to sit and wait for the next train to come by.

Every Day was busy in Japan. One day we were in the electric city, Akihabara, and heard yelling from a building. Walking into a room with what looked like a catwalk we sat down expecting a Japanese fashion show. We soon found it to be an event of people dressed in costumes like Hello Kitty or Mario yelling in Japanese whilst the crowd cheered. This was one of the most confusing yet fun parts of the trip.

It was fun seeing locals dressed as characters from Japanese anime walking the streets without a care in the world.

As Japan is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world their electronics were astounding. The buildings projected adverts and animations, generations ahead of our current technology. Video games released 2 years before making it back home, and stores with floors for just one product. One store which had 3D holograms walking around as if they were people was so different it excited adults as well as children.

You could see the wealth in how the Japanese locals would just walk up to an item valued over 1k and buying is without a fret. The shops never stopped selling. It was literally ‘shop ‘till you drop in’ Japan.

Every Japanese citizen took pride in how they looked. Many Japanese women wore lots of expensive brands like Louis Vuitton or Gucci and handbags that wouldn’t cost less than $800. Almost every man looked like they were on their way to an important meeting and students had the tidiest uniforms yet they all still seamed approachable. Being stopped in the streets by students when we were walking to have photos taken because of our blond hair, and the funny gestures of kindness when they express ‘Thanking you so much, you is so cool’, then replying in Japanese and hearing them squeal and acting overly excited that we would speak to one another.

Food over in Japan was something else, not only did it taste much different but the variety was huge. What place you would normally try to avoid back home, you go out of your way to search for.

Probably the best noodle bar we ate at was a small little shop in a dark alley we settled on, on the first night. The look of the small shop was run down and old but we were so tired we just gave up and needed to eat. Soups were cheap yet amazingly good. You could almost survive off these dishes if you had too.

On an attempt to go to the biggest fish market in Japan, which was of course closed due to a public holiday, we found little stalls nearby which sold abalone, crayfish, crabs, tuna and heaps of other seafood for prices half what you would pay here.

Last year’s Japan trip was one of the best holiday’s I’ve been able to experience. That is why later in the year I am very excited that my Japanese class is able to travel to Japan in September. This trip is geared towards our age group more so then my family trip was. Visiting many places such as Universal Studios and Mt. Fuji will be great with fellow peers.