For Sakura Toyoizumi, her exchange trip to Australia has been everything she could have imagined and so much more.
Arriving on July 27 and staying with the Woods family near Woodstock, Sakura had an action packed time in Australia.
Hailing from Hachiouji near Tokyo, the 16 year old student took in all the sites and experiences any visitor could hope for, from cuddling up to a koala to attending the 80th anniversary of the Cowra POW Breakout.
"I have three older brothers so our family is six people in total. Although we have a large family and it is lively, my brothers are much older than me, so its a quiet and comfortable house," Sakura said.
"Hachioji City is in the countryside of Tokyo, so it's quiet, but there are many shops and its a great place place, and I love it very much."
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Sakura and her friends also visited Sydney zoo whilst in Australia, her second trip here after coming here with her family when she was very young.
"I don't remember much of it so it has been great to experience all this again," she said.
Sakura also liked Cowra far more than she expected.
"Cowra was a quieter town than I was expecting so I was able to relax. Unlike in Japan, I was glad to see the animals up close," she said.
"I have also loved going to the park. I was able to enjoy a lot of sports with Karly's family, such as cricket and soccer. I like sports, so I had a lot of fun playing sports that I don't play often."
As for her best experience, that's easy.
"We went on an excursion to a farm and I was allowed to ride on the back of a truck that usually carries sheep. It was so much fun, like I was on a attraction ride, and I want to come back to Australia and do it again," Sakura said.
And what is the biggest difference between Japan and Australia?
"The biggest shock for me was the food. In Japan, it is normal to eat rice, but in Australia I hardly ever ate rice. Also in Japan, we eat three meals a day, maybe one snack and it is normal to eat three full meals a day when you are hungry. But in Australia we were always eating something, and I am always full," she said.
"It has been a lot of fun."
Sakura's family were also not impacted by the Cowra POW Breakout so seeing the commemorations was a real eye-opener for her.
"To be honest, I didn't know about Cowra until I heard about it at school."
So could you live in Australia?
"Yes I could. But honestly, I love Japan, so I don't think I'd want to live in Australia because home is where my heart is. However, during my stay in Australia, I thought several times that I wanted to live in Cowra.
Sakura and her party left Australia on August 9.
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