Patrick: Anyway, that was our little tangent about animals. Kenichi, you said you’ve been to England and America and Australia; do you travel often?

Kenichi: Not too often. Once or twice a year.

Patrick: That’s pretty often. Do you like to see the world?

Kenichi: Yes I do. Actually... I’ll tell you a special story about my trip to Australia. A few years ago, I went to Australia; it was my first time. I rented a car in the Uluru area. Once, while I was driving, an Aborigine family... they had car trouble.

Patrick: They were broken down?

Kenichi: Bonnet open; smoke...

Patrick: That’s the popular image.

Kenichi: Yes, yes. It had overheated. I stopped, and they asked me to get water for the engine. They gave me a big plastic bottle, to bring back water. This was a long way! The car was one hour from the nearest place to get water.

Patrick: Not like Japan.

Kenichi: Not like Japan. Now, when they asked me for water, they then asked me another favour. They asked me to bring beer as well as water, because they were so thirsty. I said, “Okay,” and they gave me money to buy beer. I drove to the petrol station; I got water for them, I bought beer for them, and I drove back. But, the owner of the petrol station followed me, and when I gave the water and beer to the Aborigines, he got very angry at me! “Fuck you!”

Miki: Ehhh! Why?

Kenichi: Because the Aborigines have a serious problem with alcoholism. You can’t give them alcohol, by law. I didn’t know Australia’s laws.

Patrick: By law? Really?

Kenichi: Local law.

Patrick: Oh, in that area? Okay...

Kenichi: Aborigines don’t have, er... alcoholic... [tries to explain in Japanese; laughs] ...I don’t know!

Fumihiro: They have... an allergy to alcohol?

Patrick: [laughs] No, no, no. Aborigines can drink beer. I don’t know about central Australia, but historically, Aboriginal communities... it’s very complicated, but they have some social problems.

Kenichi: Social alcoholism problems.

Patrick: Yes, some communities have problems with alcoholism. But of course, not all Aboriginal people. But a racial stereotype exists. I don’t fully understand the situation in your story, so I don’t know what to think about it.

Kenichi: I know, but, this is a real story. I think it’s very serious. The Aborigines want beer, but the white people won’t sell it to them, because they have a serious alcohol problem. No-one can give them alcohol; give them beer, by law.

Patrick: I had no idea.

Kenichi: By local law. The petrol station owner explained it to me.

Patrick: I had no idea; that’s interesting.

Kenichi: [via Miki] Please check, about this story; about this law.

Patrick: I’ll see if I can look it up; I don’t really know who to ask. It’s an interesting story.

Miki: Yeah, interesting.

Kenichi: No beer for Aborigines.

Patrick: I’ve heard similar stories, but I didn’t know it was a law, in that area. That seems unusual; I’ll have to look it up.

[What an idiot I am. There are of course many ‘dry areas’ in rural and outback Australia, centred on Aboriginal communities, where it is illegal for anyone to possess alcohol, Aboriginal or not. They are well-known, and the topic of ongoing controversy. Tourists have been fined thousands of dollars for unwittingly bringing alcohol into dry areas, so I guess Ken got lucky there!]

Patrick: So what countries have you been to?

Kenichi: I’ve been to America, England, Germany, Indonesia, Italy and France...

Patrick: What part of Indonesia?

Kenichi: Bali island.

Patrick: Oh, of course.

Kenichi: You know, Bali island was her [Miki’s] honeymoon.

Miki: Yeah, I had a honeymoon last year, to Bali.

Kenichi: For her second marriage.

Miki: I’m very happy.

Patrick: Oh, this one’s good, the new one?

Miki: The new one is much better.

[laughter]

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