Interview with Our International Residents – Stephan & Troy – | 目黒区国際交流協会(MIFA) Meguro International Friendship Association

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Interview with Our International Residents – Stephan & Troy –

Interview with Our International Residents – Stephan & Troy –

Stephan Van Der Walt and Troy Callander both work for Tokyo Gas and play on the company’s rugby team. Stephan is from Australia and Troy from New Zealand – “I am Kiwi” as Troy proclaimed. They came to Japan about a year ago. They live in Nakameguro and occasionally join MIFA’s Japanese Conversation Salon to practice Japanese, which is how we first met them. On a beautiful Saturday morning, we watched them practice rugby before sitting down for a chat.

©WAGNER Louise Claire, during the training

On Life in Japan
Stephan finds it quiet and orderly here compared to Australia. People are nice and interested in what he does. He has made some nice friends who take him out and show him around. However, since there are fewer English-speaking Japanese than Stephan had anticipated, it took him some time to initially adjust to life in Japan.
Troy’s biggest surprise when he first came was how helpful people are. Back in New Zealand there is a lot of self-service in shops and restaurants.
Being over 190 cm in height, they sometimes bump their heads against the handrail on the bus ceiling and the hood over the stove. They find it interesting that people wear suits to work even in the heat of summer. But when Stephan hopped on the train during Golden Week and found people in casual clothing instead, he was surprised again. Meanwhile, Troy is amazed at the contrast between the suit-wearing norm here and the common attire of shorts, socks, and jandals (=sandals) in New Zealand.
While they still face the language barrier, it does not hinder their play on the rugby field. Their coaches speak mainly Japanese. But since the technical terms are the same as in English, and a lot of the same Japanese words are repeatedly used, they can manage to follow the instruction. They also get help from English-speaking Japanese players and staff when necessary.

On Food in Japan
They love Japanese food. Troy’s favorite is sushi and sashimi. They both love yakiniku. Since they eat a lot, when they show up together at their neighborhood all-you-can-eat yakiniku restaurant, they would get a sad look from the staff. 🙂
They can get from supermarkets a lot of the food they eat back home, with some differences – more rye bread here versus sourdough and wholewheat bread in Australia. Besides, since they eat a lot of bread, they usually go to a bakery to get a whole loaf instead of a supermarket which only sells it in slices.

On Life as a Foreigner in Meguro
They both love living in Nakameguro, especially because of the numerous cafes and great restaurants.
Stephan finds Meguro a great place to raise his baby girl. He found an international hospital which takes care of his daughter’s medical needs without the language barrier. Furthermore, it is so safe that his wife can go out alone. He is amazed at how little kids commute to school on their own.

©WAGNER Louise Claire, playtime with Japanese teammates in an ice tub.

On Rugby in Japan
They find rugby in Japan to be similar to Australia and New Zealand – Japanese players are equally strong and have adopted a lot of the Kiwi style of play. They are impressed by the improvement the Japanese team has made, and think Japan will do well and may surprise us in the World Cup this year.