KEITH T. DENNETT | New South | CONTACT
As a bloke who has little contact with his immediate family over Christmas, Jarrod Whitney is the type of Aussie that likes jetting off overseas in late December to avoid buckets of family drama.
However after spending several New Years Eves in Bali, The Advocate understands this year Jarrod was inspired to switch things up a little after watching Brad Pitt star in the action thriller, ‘Bullet Train’.
Coupled with the fact that his new girlfriend is an avid gamer, who really enjoys Studio Ghibli films, Jarrod has reportedly forked out close to $4000 on Jetstar flights from Betoota to Tokyo, via a four-hour layover in Cairns.
Excited to hit the streets of Tokyo and visit the world’s most famous tourist trap, the Shinjuku Robot Restaurant, Jarrod told The Advocate that he’s been learning some basic Japanese, as previous trips to Bali had taught him making an attempt at some local language can often result in more generous meal sizes.
“I’ve travelled throughout Asia and if there’s one thing people love, it’s Aussies having a crack at the local yarn,” Jarrod proudly told our reporter.
“I did it heaps in Bali, I used to say ‘Apa kabar’ to all the waiters and they’d always give me an extra satay skewer!”
Keen to get some Japanese under his belt before jetting off in December, Jarrod has been spending the most of his morning commutes glued to his Duolingo app, mouthing some phrases as he sits on the bus to work.
“Oh-high-oh goz-eye-muss,” stumbled Jarrod, “that’s kind of how you say hello!”
“And ‘Yaki-tori itzoo-tzoo ita-deki-muss kahhh’, that’s how you ask for five more chicken sticks please!”
Asked whether he’ll branch out any further than simply ordering the same food he usually eats at a CBD Sushi Train, Jarrod was honest in his lukewarm commitment to learning all three Japanese writing systems.
“Nah I’ll probably just stick to the food phrases, I skipped the transport ones, I think some polite pointing and hand gestures will get me across the line, apparently the Japanese people are very friendly!”
