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The Pros and Cons of Brisbane

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I ended up in Brisbane, Australia for study abroad and lived there for about 5 months. It was a comfortable city to live in, so I'll introduce it in this article. I've summarized the good and bad points below, which I hope will be helpful in deciding on a study abroad destination or tourist spot.

Brisbane
Brisbane

Note that this includes features not only specific to Brisbane but also to the state and country itself.

Also, I've intentionally not included photos or emphasized specific points, nor have I categorized them. Feel free to pick and read the sections you like, or read from top to bottom.

Basic Information

Brisbane is the capital of Queensland (QLD), located in the northeast, and is Australia's third-largest city (following Sydney and Melbourne). There are direct flights from Narita Airport by Qantas Airways. The time difference is +10, one hour ahead of Japan.

Good Points

Compact

While Brisbane's city center has many shops including shopping malls, they are concentrated in the central area, making them easily accessible. There are also cheap large (generally big) supermarkets, so people who commute to the city daily can benefit from this.

Interesting Buildings

It's a curious environment where retro buildings reminiscent of medieval Europe stand alongside high-rise buildings. While banks and Apple stores look like the Parthenon, glass-walled buildings sprout up next to them.

Almost All Stores Accept Credit Cards

Australia is a cashless advanced country. There were basically no places to use the cash I withdrew at the airport. Even when I approached food stalls thinking they would surely only accept cash, most of them had payment terminals.

However, it seems likely that the transaction fees are a burden, and many stores violate merchant rules by skimming small change with "minimum $5" or "EFTPOS +¢10". It's a profitable land where you can see both the ideal and reality.

Nature is Close

There are lush parks and botanical gardens nearby, so when you think "Ah, I want to relax a bit," you can immediately do so. As it's a city along a river, there are many bridges and riverside promenades. Both forest and river enthusiasts will be satisfied.

Parks are Beautiful and Large

The South Bank park, which is close to the city center, is Australian-sized. It's also quite elaborate, with an artificial beach, Ferris wheel, fountain, cafe, BBQ area, and even oddly shaped objects. It's more like a small theme park than a park. It's beautifully finished, so it's enjoyable just to walk around.

Also, the botanical garden is right near the city center, but it's also Australian-sized, just barely large enough to get lost in.

Self-Checkout is Widespread

Many supermarkets have self-checkout. More accurately, it's probably because Coles and Woolworths, the two giants of the supermarket world, have introduced self-checkout. There's basically no waiting time (maybe because there are fewer people), and you don't need to talk to staff, so it's very relaxing.

Mostly Sunny

QLD is called the Sunshine State, and most days are clear. Especially in winter, there's little rain, to the extent that it's sunny even when the weather forecast says it will rain. It's incredibly comfortable as laundry dries quickly and it's mild and pleasant even in winter. You can laugh when Japan is in its rainy season while it's like this here. However, in spring (October), it rains quite a bit, so you'll be laughed at.

Many Products are Huge

When you go to the supermarket, the cornflakes are big enough to crush a person, or the juice is heavy enough to kill someone if you hit them with it, giving quite a sense of pressure. You can feel like you've become a little person without having to go to the US.

Houses are Also Incredibly Large

If you look at detached houses, you'll see houses with pools to the point of boredom. There are also quite a few houses with tennis courts and gyms. It might be difficult within 1km of the city, but if you go just a few kilometers away, such huge houses literally line up.

Culturally, it's common to make guest rooms, resulting in houses with overkill features like five bedrooms and two bathrooms (+2 en-suite). It's understandable why AirBnB is popular.

Houses are Very Open

The awareness of houses seems fundamentally different, with open houses that are full of (seemingly) security holes growing in clusters. The houses are completely visible from the neighboring houses, so neighborhood interactions are active and there are many parties.

Many Birds

You often see birds while walking on the street. If we set the ratio of seeing pigeons and crows in urban areas of Japan to 1, it would be about 1.5 here. Maybe it's because I don't have much knowledge about birds, but there are many birds that you don't see in Japan, and they're usually beautiful in color and shape, so your brain is protected.

Especially in the botanical garden in the city, with birds, rivers, and trees all together, it's perfect for Instagram activities under the guise of birdwatching.

Well-Developed Public Transportation

Trains connect major points and are essential for medium-distance travel. New model trains (all those that pass through the airport seem to be new models) are equipped with Wi-Fi, so it's easy to look things up while moving.

The bus network is unusually well-developed, and you can get to many places in and out of the city by a single bus. Also, it seems that a metro will be built in about a year. Short-distance travel might change from buses to the metro.

Also, as it's a city along a river, ferries are provided as a means of transportation. You can ride them as casually as buses, and they're good for a change of pace. Furthermore, the CityCat ferry is free to ride.

Convenient Transportation IC Card

The system of an organization called TRANSLink is convenient. It's basically JR East Japan.

They issue a transportation IC card called Go Card with a suspicious character drawn on it. It's basically the same as Japan's Suica, but you can charge it just by clicking online, and you can even set up auto-charging. I think Suica required a paid membership or a designated credit card to do this.

While fares are basically high, using an IC card makes them cheaper due to a complex fare structure. "It's cheaper on weekends, so go out somewhere" "But only within QLD"

  • Generally cheaper when using an IC card
  • After riding 8 times a week, it's half price thereafter
  • Slightly cheaper outside of morning and evening hours
  • However, the airport has a fixed cost

Furthermore, it has extremely user-friendly features such as "Even if you don't have enough balance when exiting, you can exit with a negative balance" and "Online charges are refunded if not used". I was moved.

However, its convenience is slightly inferior to Suica, as it can be used for buses, trains, and ferries, but not for shopping. Well, you can use a credit card for shopping.

Good Access

There are direct flights from Narita to Brisbane Airport. Airport to city center is within 20 minutes by a single train, and it's directly connected to the famous Gold Coast. If you use a plane to Sydney, you can move with the image of Tokyo-Osaka distance, so it's in a good location.

Modern Banking System

When I opened an account, I was told to download a smartphone app and was taught how to use it on the spot. It seems that fund operations are basically done through smartphone apps.

Furthermore, bank cash cards are debit cards and can be used directly in stores. It's convenient... but as adults basically create credit cards, the benefits seem to be few. It's good for children.

Diverse International Restaurants

As it's a country of immigrants, multinational restaurants are naturally abundant. Furthermore, historically, there are hardly any uniquely Australian cuisines (the occupiers were British), and even if there are, they're home cooking, so you probably won't remember much about the cuisine when you travel.

You see sushi shops everywhere. They're basically rolled sushi, but occasionally you see nigiri sushi. They're not too expensive and surprisingly good, so they're good for a quick meal.

Tom yum kung, pho, and kebabs are... delicious.

And there are many ramen shops. They're also expensive, but beggars can't be choosers. However, chain stores are basically misses.

Peaceful

Anyway, I wasn't involved in any pickpocketing or crimes. It's said to have good public safety, and I think it's actually true. Well, I haven't been involved in any even when traveling to other countries before, so maybe I'm just lucky. Let's be careful at the minimum.

From what I hear, the average wage isn't that different from Japan, and the cost of living isn't that different either, so it's economically peaceful. Working hours are (on average) less, and they seem to live a life that starts early in the morning and ends early at night. Also, with peaceful scenery spreading in and out of the city, it seems easy to become mentally peaceful.

Beautiful Library

Like parks and botanical gardens, public facilities are strangely beautiful. Is it for the same reason that roads are beautiful in rural areas? There were sufficient books, and the building itself was interesting and fun. Due to the power of the land, there seems to be space that can be used as a cinema.

Free Art Museum

For the same reason as the library (probably), admission to the art museum is free. Although not as much as Sydney, there are enough exhibits here to kill several hours. The Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) was especially interesting.

Huge Shopping Malls

Just huge and Australian-sized. You might be able to see the horizon. There are several shopping malls a single bus ride from the city center, but they're usually large enough to be called big. If you like shopping, it will be interesting. Even if you don't like shopping, sometimes the buildings are interesting, so it might be good to visit once during your trip.

Different Game Center Culture

It's the same in that crane games and fighting games are often placed, but the appearance of go-karts in shopping mall game centers shows that they're making good use of the land. Also, there are spaces for light airsoft (using lasers), and almost no rhythm games, showing some cultural differences.

No Trouble for Lunch

There are many stores in the city where you can take away for A$5-10. They're cheap and delicious, so even we who are used to beef bowls won't starve to death. You can take away, so you have options like eating in a nearby park, which leads to high satisfaction.

There's Even a Casino

There's a casino within a few minutes' walk from the city center. Although it's not very large, it fully fulfills its role as a casino. If you've never been, please do.

Few Differences from Japan

Many things such as measurement units, traffic rules, and social norms are not different from Japan, so there's little sense of discomfort. If you come for study abroad, it will be easy to get used to. On the other hand, if you come for travel, you might find it lacking in foreign feeling...

High Wages

The minimum hourly wage is A$18.39 (about 1,500 yen). I'm not very familiar with taxes, but I think 20% is deposited into a pension account, and income tax is applied to the rest. When you leave Australia, only about 60% of the money in your pension account is returned, but it's still high.

However, there are illegal stores (within my observation range, many are foreign cuisine restaurants) that make people work below the minimum wage.

Bad Points

Too Many Bus Routes

Routes are determined by three-digit numbers, but it's hard to tell which is which. Google Maps is essential. At major bus stops, there are only two boarding areas, but three buses stop at once, and it's not really clear where each of them is going.

No Bus Announcements

There are no announcements for bus stops. Google Maps is essential. Sometimes you can manage by staring at the scenery, but in the evening, you can't see anymore. If you tell the driver, they will let you know, but of course, you need to understand English.

Small Things are Expensive

A 200ml plastic bottle costs an abnormal price like A$3.5, but if you buy a 2L version, it becomes as cheap as A$7.0. Also, plastic bottles from vending machines cost A$3.5-4.0. You have to pay 320 yen for a 600ml Coke.

The abnormal volume discount is the same for ingredients, so if you buy a lot and cook for yourself, you can live quite cheaply.

Daiso is Expensive

DAISO JAPAN exists here and there, but they sell everything for A$2.8 (about 220 yen), which is a somewhat indescribable price. However, having DAISO is convenient, and you can easily obtain Japanese food.

Game Centers are Different

Rhythm games are not very popular, and while there's no IIDX, DDR is strangely old.
Also, the main system seems to be collecting mysterious tickets in games and exchanging them at the counter, so there are relatively few things that first-timers can enjoy right away.

Slightly Fewer People

Compared to Sydney, there are fewer people, which means fewer communities. While there's the advantage of less crowding, considering opportunities to study, I got the impression that it would be better to have more people.

Strict Water Situation...?

Because it rarely rains, you can't use water lavishly. However, fountains and pools in parks use water relatively abundantly. At least near the city, it doesn't seem to be much of a problem. Maybe it means there's less water that can be used for drinking? The city is surrounded by rivers and close to the sea.

Summary

It's a good place to live for a long time or to visit for sightseeing. While there aren't any particularly sharp features specific to this place, it's well-balanced and perfect for comfortable living.

Please visit once!

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