It’s about seven in the evening here in Kurashiki. The bats are out, diving after insects against the hazy purple sky. The big red sun has dropped behind the hills to the west of the city. Today was hot and humid - a typical spring day in Japan.

Kurashiki is as far from the equator as Auckland. Yet by the middle of August it will be as hot here as it is in Thailand. I had sushi for dinner tonight, big chunks of raw salmon and tuna wrapped around balls of rice with wasabi paste. As the Japanese would say, it was oishii - delicious. After the sushi I wandered home to my apartment through narrow streets, lined with people’s houses. Many of these houses are built of charred timber. The wood looks as if it has been barbequed.

Between the houses and the streets are small, deep canals full of grayling. And there’s hardly anyone around. I was in Tokyo two weeks ago. The vast crowds and the urban mania of Tokyo are difficult to describe. And the evening stillness of suburban Kurashiki is bizarre in comparison.

Kurashiki lies about 20 kilometres west of Okayama city, the major urban centre of Okayama Prefecture. Between Kurashiki and Okayama lies a sprawl of housing, and the combined population of the two cities is around one million. People have lived in this part of Japan for centuries. There are enormous man-made burial mounds near Kurashiki, which are believed to have been built in the 4th century AD by invaders from the Korean peninsula. These tumuli have been compared to the pyramids of Egypt in terms of the man-power and length of time it took to construct them.

The oldest modern buildings in Kurashiki are situated in the Bikan Chiku, or Historical Quarter, of the city. They date back to the Edo period of Japanese history which means they are around 300 years old.

Many of these historic buildings were once kura - grain warehouses. Others were shiki - salubrious inns, where rich merchants once lazed away their spare time. The name Kurashiki is thought to be an agglutination of the two words. The Historical Quarter here in Kurashiki is famous throughout Japan, and also attracts a few foreign tourists. Apart from tourism, Kurashiki’s local economy is based on agriculture and small business. However, Mizushima Port - which is near Kurashiki city - is one of the largest industrial zones in Japan.

I have lived in Kurashiki for about 10 months now. I work in a Junior High School as an Assistant English Teacher. I teach children who are aged between about 12 and 15. Being an Assistant means that whenever I teach there is a Japanese English teacher in the classroom as well. This is supposed to be “team teaching,” but in my experience that phrase is misleading. Generally, I teach solo for about 25 minutes every lesson, and the Japanese teacher does the same. I concentrate mainly on pronunciation, and I enjoy this because teenagers are wonderful mimics. My students are developing New Zealand accents, which I find very amusing. I also set the children “communicative activities” - a jargon-ish way of saying that I give them exercises which require them to speak to each other in English. The Japanese teachers explain points of grammar, and translate new vocabulary for the children. The students are exposed to several different aspects of the English language in each lesson, which helps prevent boredom. On a good day, I teach four or five lessons. On a bad day, I teach one or two, and spend hours in the staff room studying Japanese. And I dream about weekends and holidays.

Kurashiki is one of Christchurch’s sister cities. The relationship between Christchurch and Kurashiki was established in 1973 by Michael Gorman, educated at Christ’s College, Christchurch. He came to live and work here in 1968.

Since 1973, regular sporting and cultural exchanges of school children have taken place between the two cities. Moreover, the teaching programme I work under is a direct result of the sister city link. The local government here regards the sister city link with Christchurch as being of great importance. This is a view perhaps not so strongly held in Christchurch. Mr Takeshi Nakada, the Mayor of Kurashiki, has made three visits to Christchurch but it is some years since a Christchurch Mayor has visited here.

Although I have lived here for almost a year, I feel I am not yet qualified to comment on the culture of Japan or its people. But I will venture a few words. A lot of noise is made about the differences between Japan and the West. But I suspect that there are more similarities than differences. Everyday, I see Japanese people experiencing all of the same basic hopes, fears, frustrations, and joys as people in New Zealand. Perhaps the problem is that Japan appears so weird to Western eyes. I often hear foreigners describe Japan as a country of deep contradictions. The Japanese themselves don’t seem to share this perception. For the Japanese, the ancient and the new lie together without conflict. In the Japanese view, there is nothing strange in travelling from Okayama to Kyoto at 300 kilometres per hour on a bullet train in order to receive the spiritual and aesthetic benefits of visiting a Buddhist temple which was built by monks in the 8th century.

Even though Kurashiki is a country town (if Tokyo was Auckland, Kurashiki would be Burke’s Pass), the youth of Kurashiki never the less embrace with enthusiasm the spirit of roguery that marks young Japanese people all over the country. They dress well here; they drink all night; drive too fast; smoke too much; play live music in the streets and generally buck the restrictions of “normal Japanese behaviour” still adhered to by the older generation. And many young people here want to move away. But, you can get attached to a place like Kurashiki.

A few weeks ago in a yaki-tori (fried chicken) restaurant, I met an old man called Mr. Nishi. His English was flawless. For once, I didn’t need to attempt to speak Japanese. We talked. Mr. Nishi had grown up in Kurashiki, but then lived and worked in Tokyo for 30 years. In Tokyo he married, had five beautiful daughters, and became very wealthy. But upon his retirement, he and his wife immediately moved back to Kurashiki. “Why?” I asked him. “Because Kurashiki is peaceful. It’s interesting, but not stressful. It’s beautiful around here. And it’s my home town.”