43 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP WITH JAPAN

The Australia Japan Association of SA Inc. was founded in 1967, more than 43 years ago, by Toyohiro Tanaka to foster and promote friendship and understanding between the people of Australia and of Japan.  It is still doing that today, although with changing times we see more of Japanese people who are in Australia to study or have a working holiday than those in business and representing Japanese companies. However, everyone is welcome, and our membership reflects a wide range of people, whose common interest is in some way connected with Japan.

If you have an interest in Japan, have been to Japan or want to go there, if you are Japanese with a similar interest in Australia, and you want to make new friends, an AJA conversation meeting is the place to go.

AJA holds conversation meetings twice a month on the first Tuesday and the third Wednesday of each month from 6 pm at the Caffé Amore on the corner of Pirie and Pulteney Streets. Here Australians and Japanese (and many others these days) of all ages meet to socialise, make some useful contacts and communicate in each other’s language.

Nowadays about 45-60 people attend our meetings and many friendships are formed in a pleasant café atmosphere where coffee or a meal is readily available. Formality is minimal and meetings end when the last people go home.  Some meetings run to a theme, such as a Melbourne Cup Hat night, a Kimono night, a quiz or even a “Talk like a Pirate” night.

As you browse our website you will find information about our activities), our calendar of events and our 43 year history. As well as casual conversation meetings twice a month, AJA has “J-Talk”, a radio program on Friday nights, a beach volleyball team, “Team AJA” and a new “Fine Dining Club”. There are also links to other Australia Japan Societies all around Australia, which you may wish to visit while travelling.

The new AJA website has been in operation for about two years now, and the AJA web-master, Stuart McClure, has developed a  Bulletin Board on the website which members can access and have notices posted. We want it to be a good introduction to the Australia Japan Association of SA for those people learning about it for the first time as well as a reliable reference point of ongoing new information for members and supporters. Let the team, or any Committee Member, know about any features you would like to see on our website, and sooner or later we will implement them if we can.

 

One special page is an archive for recent issues of Harmony, our quarterly newsletter, which documents many of our activities. If your friends ask you what AJA is about, the pictures and stories in them will give a fair indication.

 

Members and Contacts also receive the AJA Bulletin regularly, usually a few days before the next conversation meeting, but also with special news.

If you come along to an AJA meeting for a visit and like what you see, then become a member!  However, membership is not a prerequisite for any of our activities, although we hope you will want to belong and enjoy the discount that members gain at dinners and BBQs.  Since September 2009 members have had membership cards, and while full membership fees are now $20.00, we have a new benefit.  This is our Corporate Sponsorship Page where you will find discounts offered by four sponsors who are supporting  us in our activities. They are Caffe Amore, Matsuri Japanese Restaurant, Ronin Martial Arts Supplies and Burnside Library.  Browse our Corporate Sponsorship page to see what benefits are on offer. We'll update it from time to time with any additions. Support those who support us!

We still intend the website is to be bilingual in all areas, although Japanese at present appears mainly in the issues of Harmony in the archive. The Japanese content will gradually increase as it is translated.

 

If you want more details of meetings, contact Jim at jlstewart@optusnet.com.au or Kyoko at pohchankyoko@gmail.com or just turn up at the Caffé Amore on any meeting night.