Day 1
Heading South. Beyond the equator, to the edge of the world facing Antarctica.
Where Christmas finds its midsummer.
Finding my first Xmas carol in the south.
Port Campbell, CBD, Victoria, Australia
Itinerary. 4 days in local.
| Sat, Dec 20 | ||
| 13:20 | Terminal, NRT(Narita Int’l Airport) | C1 Business English Course, The last classroom, Online |
| 19:20 | Runway, NRT | Rotate, Take off, 10 hours and half of In-flight night (Destination) |
| Sun, Dec 21 Day 1 Port Campbell |
||
| 07:45 | Terminal, MEL(Melbourne Int’l Airport) | Landing, Rent-a-car |
| 15:30 | Port Campbell | Check in Guest house(2 nights) |
| Mon, Dec 22 Day 2 Port Campbell |
||
| All day | Port Campbell | Driving Great Ocean Rd |
| Tue, Dec 23 Day 1 CBD, Melbourne |
||
| 13:00 | Terminal, MEL(Melbourne Int’nl Airport) | Returning Rent-a-car |
| 14:30 | CBD, Melbourne | Check in Hotel(2 nights) |
| 16:00 | Sidney Myer Music Bowl | Carols by Candlelight Rehearsal |
| Wed, Dec 24 Day 2 CBD, Melbourne |
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| All day | CBD, Melbourne | Strolling CBD by Tram |
| 23:30 | St Patrick’s Cathedral | Carol service, Midnight mass |
| Thu, Dec 25 | ||
| 09:25 | Runway, MEL(Melbourne Int’nl Airport) | Rotate, Take off |
| 17:40 | Terminal, NRT(Narita Int’l Airport) | Landing |
| Fri, Dec 26 | ||
| 09:00 | Working hours | |
Saturday, Dec 20th, 2025
Rainy 10°
Narita Int’l Airport
It all began with a tune—“Cruxmas”
a Southern ‘Carol of the Bells’ I released in the summer of 2025.
The South African tutor, there for a makeup lesson,
spoke with the echoes of eleven native languages behind their voice.
It felt as if a vast safari were hidden within—a mysterious chord that struck me.
Then, a simple question took root: Why is Christmas always draped in snow? That’s only half the truth, isn’t it?
In the Southern Hemisphere, it should be midsummer at Christmas.
There ought to be songs for a Christmas in summer.
I traced the maps of the South.
I learned of the Baobab—the “Water Giant” that scrapes the heavens.
In its presence, I felt the pulse of the Earth itself.
“Head South,” the inner voice commanded.
Cross the equator.
To the far side of the globe, looking out toward the ice.
To Melbourne, the great southern metropolis.
Just south of Melbourne is the island of Tasmania.
I want to speak with the Aboriginal people.
If there are any indigenous souls surviving in this modern age,
I suspect they might be us—the Japanese.
And so, today, December 20th. Narita Airport.
I finished my final online C1 English class on my ThinkPad right before checking in.
Has my brain finally toggled into “English mode”?
Dressed in my everyday clothes, carrying a backpack for my ThinkPad and an eco-bag for a change of clothes.
The counter staff looked at me twice: “Are you really boarding an international flight today?”
I’ve heard Melbourne’s nights can be biting even in summer.
Long sleeves, fleece, denim—the same armor I wore in Tokyo should suffice.
No need for checked luggage.
Melbourne is GMT+10, daylight savings.
A two-hour leap into the future.
For a journey to the opposite side of the planet, the jet lag feels strangely casual.
I feel the pull of the “Old School.”
Tracing back to the 19th-century Gold Rush… Ready to dive into the Neo Victoria Empire, two hundred years later.
Four nights, five days, in local.
My mission: a sensory UX, capturing the “In Real Life” Christmas of the South through sound.
The first two days in Port Campbell, a tiny fishing village 240km from the airport.
The final two in the CBD, the heart of Melbourne.
(Picture from Great Circle Courses to the Four Quaters of the Earth, Qantas Airways.)
I wonder… will I truly be able to stand on the ground of the Southern Hemisphere?
Or will I simply fall off into the void of space?
My journey begins at this level of existential vertigo.
An hour of taxiing on the runway—a first, even for Narita.
A brief, warm chat with the Australian returning home in the next seat.
Finally, an hour late, we rotate.
Slicing through thick rain clouds toward the starlight, closer to the moon.
Heading toward the Southern Cross.