The Hub – Issue 18

Australia is a massive island continent, and Japan is an archipelago of some 14,125 islands but there are oblique similarities with natural disasters. Australia has bushfires and cyclones, while Japan has earthquakes and tsunamis. We look at how each country deals with the inevitability of nature’s wrath.

While we are comparing the land of the rising sun with the land down under, we take a side-by-side snapshot of the state of New South Wales and the island of Hokkaido in our Bondi to Sapporo story. But when it comes to homegrown, potential killers Australia is on its own. It is a land of contradictions. From internationally being recognised as the country of cuddly koalas and cute kangaroo joeys, to being home to some of the deadliest wildlife on Earth. From the most dangerous ant and most venomous snake in the world to lethal blue ringed octopus, box jelly fish and sharks. We highlight a few of them and explain why and how Australia drew the short straw on nature’s villains. Fortunately, most of these animals avoid humans and fatal encounters are rare.

If you think that story is a killer, we reveal why Japan has three writing systems. Three script styles – kanji, hiragana, and katakana – that often appear in a single sentence. Why would a modern nation maintain three writing styles when just one might do? On the other hand, nigiri, the delicious sushi morsel, comes in numerous styles. We tell its long history and take a close look at Sushi Hub’s latest delicious nigiri offering, wagyu nigiri. And of things bite-sized, we show you step-by- step how to make your own inside out sushi roll at home.

In this issue we also celebrate Sushi Hub’s milestone 200th store and look at the beauty of Japanese lacquerware that transforms ordinary wood into lustrous, durable objects that can endure for centuries. And try this: If you are an observant spotter, little Sushi Hubster Hiroshi, has hidden himself among these pages. See how many times you can find him.