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The Sushi Predicament
The plates circulated like a runway at fashion week, except instead of haute couture, the models were dressed in shades of raw fish, and instead of leggy models, they were small balls of rice. I imagine I felt the same way at this Shinjuku sushi restaurant as I would have at a high-end fashion show,…
Stamps With a Story
Tracing the intricate calligraphy, an old Japanese man smiles and looks over at his granddaughter. He downs the last of his long neck Asahi Super Dry and lets out a boisterous laugh. “I can’t believe you’ve taken up a pastime beloved by elderly Japanese men,” he chuckles. I am sitting with my friend Yayoi in…
This Train is Bound for Tomorrow
On a late-night train, there was a girl. I faintly recall a scarf, round cheeks and bangs long enough that they caught on her eyelashes. Her hands fluttered to the cadence of her voice. Her leg was warm against mine. I don’t remember her name. One of the senior girls from Osaka University’s karate club…
When Your Travels Are a Shit Storm
They say that opposites attract, but every day, I'm realising that shit attracts shit. For example, I'm using Notepad to write this because Word isn't working on my computer – funny how life seems to enjoy aligning every aspect, right down to even the most irrelevant. I had my day planned, and for it to…

Astray is a storytelling project centred on travel, place, culture and identity.

We’re run by a team of writers who mostly live, work and play in nipaluna / Hobart. With reverence, we acknowledge the Tasmanian Aboriginal people as the traditional and ongoing custodians of trouwunna / lutruwita / Tasmania: land that was stolen and never ceded. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.