Woodford resident Ayaka Thompson felt isolated when she first moved over from Japan, but she's since found a home with a small slice of Japan in the Mountains that she built herself.
When she moved to Australia in 2016 with her husband, Andrew, it was difficult for Ms Thompson to find a way to connect with others in a new country.
On top of being a non-native English speaker, she suffers from Fibromyalgia and other health conditions, preventing her from finding typical employment.
"After I moved here I couldn't go to work. I started tutoring to connect with people, but other than that I didn't talk to anyone. Until my husband came home I just sat on the sofa," Ms Thompson told the Gazette.
"He thought it wasn't healthy, so he asked me to talk to someone with a mutual interest, but I didn't know how to find someone like that."
The first interest that came to her mind was her collection of Japanese items she had brought with her to Australia. And so to find that mutual interest and keep busy, she began listing her items on Facebook marketplace.
"At the time it wasn't a business. I would only make a few dollars each sale, because it was just a hobby. I didn't charge that much," Ms Thompson said.
Having grown up in Japan, Ms Thompson had a keen eye for authenticity and fair prices when buying Japanese goods.
This helped her buy and sell to people in Australia, which she said wasn't for money but to spread her culture and find others who appreciated it.
"Over time, people told me they were scared to buy on sites like eBay; they were worried they could be ripped off on the price, or might receive a fake item," Ms Thompson said.
"I didn't want that to happen, and I was pretty sure I could get the right item - and wouldn't rip them off. So that's how this turned into a business: I wanted to talk to people and I wanted to help people, even though I couldn't go to work."
A Facebook page Ms Thompson made for her service, 'Small Japan in Australia', quickly surpassed 1,000 followers, and with her newfound reach she began to explore other ways to spread and celebrate Japanese culture.
"I started to do garage sales, or 'Anime Disney Market Day', where people can come and check Japanese items," she said.
"After that we joined Magpie Markets with Japanese festival games and snacks and small items, so people could kind of connect to Japan. I treated the whole project like a tree, adding branches over time."
Since then she has also introduced a Japanese language picnic event, origami days, calligraphy days, cooking classes and more.
She also runs some programs using training she received in Japan, including in traditional Japanese sweets (Nerikiri) and fermented foods (such as Koji and Miso).
"Some people like anime, but some people like green tea or kimono, or cooking Japanese food," Ms Thompson said.
"I knew if I wanted to make money I had to stick to one thing, but I didn't start this for profit. I just want to spread the Japanese community."
Today, she runs a breadth of events and workshops through which she has found her roots in the Blue Mountains community.
"Years ago I felt more isolated, it was difficult. But at the moment people are happy and welcoming, and I think people want to get more Japanese cooking and restaurants here," she said.
"When we go to the Magpie Markets we always get a lot of visitors. I'm always welcome, and they always give me a smile. I think people have accepted us."
For more information about Small Japan in Australia and to place an order, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/smalljapaninaustralia. For updates and Japanese events, visit https://www.facebook.com/SJIAJC.
