Japan Calling

As Mark Hamilton retires from teaching in Japan, he reflects on national identity, values, and living 10,000 kilometres away from Kawartha Lakes

Mark Hamilton never expected to be bathing naked with his Japanese host family when he arrived in the Pacific nation as an exchange student in 1987. But that’s a cultural norm in Japan – at least in a hot spring or in a public bath.

Known as “onsen” in Japanese, communal bathing is a deeply rooted tradition — a practice of relaxation, social bonding, and even spiritual cleansing. A tradition that was influenced by Buddhism and Shintoism over centuries, communal bathing is seen as a way to connect with others and unwind.

It was something Hamilton calls “perhaps the most challenging experience” during his first summer in Hokkaido. As awkward as that was for a shy Lindsay-area boy, his experiences in Japan left an indelible mark.

But getting to that point all started in the halls and classrooms of I.E. Weldon Secondary School in 1986. As a Grade 12 student, that’s where and when Hamilton met Hiroshi Hasumune. Hasumune was an exchange student from Nayoro, the small town in Japan twinned with Lindsay.

“Hiroshi was shy like me, but fun-loving, and we became close friends.” Hamilton applied the following summer as part of the alternating exchange under the Nayoro-Lindsay sister city agreement. “I was chosen to represent I.E. Weldon and Eliza Gardiner accompanied me from LCVI.”

It was that moment where the seeds of a lifelong cross-cultural friendship were planted. This early experience, facilitated by the Weldon program and the sister city initiative, became the cornerstone of a remarkable journey for Hamilton that would span continents, careers, and personal transformation. 

A Leap Into the Unknown

Hamilton’s first journey to Japan came on his 18th birthday, in June 1987. (Full disclosure: Hamilton and I have been friends since high school.)

It was Hamilton’s first time flying, and his first long stay away from home.

“To mark the occasion, the pilots and flight crew presented me with a first-class signed menu and a mini bottle of champagne. I recall them saying we were in Alberta airspace at the time, so I was legal drinking age,” he says.

The 14-hour direct flight landed at Narita International Airport in Tokyo, and the size of the city left the young man from Lindsay in awe.

“That would be my only glimpse of Tokyo on this trip, as we rushed to make our 90-minute connecting flight. A shuttle bus and welcome delegation from Nayoro delivered us to a hotel in Sapporo 45 minutes away. Unfortunately, my nervous stomach got the better of me, and I left a trail of champagne and airline food out the bus window.”

Many of Hamilton’s early impressions of Japan came from ninja and Karate Kid movies popular in the mid 1980s. “I was a little disappointed to discover samurai, geisha and martial arts masters were not so common in modern Japan.”

At the same time, his high-tech image of Japan was also washed away when he encountered his first squat toilet.

Over the course of the summer, he stayed with 10 host families. It wasn’t just the communal bathing he found challenging at first.

“Each family, despite limited English skills, extended a warm welcome and spoiled me with Japanese delicacies including sashimi and sushi. Raised on meat and potatoes, I struggled to adjust and rather preferred Japanese style barbecues and ramen noodles.”

Hamilton returned to Ontario to complete Grade 13 at Weldon before starting agri-business studies at the University of Guelph. Perhaps without knowing it consciously yet, he had already been changed by his experience in Japan. Upon graduation, he filled a six-month contract with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Waterloo. After the contract ended, he applied for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme and was delighted to be placed back in Nayoro.

After two years teaching there, he realized he enjoyed the classroom and decided to return to Canada to get his teaching license and B.Ed. through one year of study at the University of Western Ontario.

But it was three time’s a charm for Hamilton when it came to Japan, at least in terms of convincing him to stay. He completed his M.Ed. at Hokkaido University in Sapporo, by compiling a Canadian Cultural curriculum for children. Learning English in elementary schools “was a new initiative in Japan at the time, and my efforts were well received.”

As he was completing his Masters in Japan, that’s when he met Mikako.

Where would one most likely meet a Japanese woman? In an Irish pub, of course. Owing to a hockey injury, Hamilton was scheduled to be hospitalized for six weeks to keep his leg immobilized and to follow a strict rehabilitation regimen. He wanted to enjoy a few drinks, knowing it would be a dry month and a half ahead.

While in the pub, the two struck up a conversation about his hockey injury and planned to have lunch together the next day. “We had a great lunch with a Japanese colleague of hers visiting from Canada. Afterwards, I took her to my favourite cafe and we talked all afternoon.”

With their connection blossoming quickly, Hamilton even invited her to Hawaii, where he was scheduled to MC a friend’s wedding there six months later.

Prior to his surgery, Hamilton says Mikako visited him at the hospital a day later and noticed the patient information panel at the head of his bed.

“Although much of our conversation in the bar was a bit fuzzy to her, she clearly remembered my left knee injury. Somehow the hospital had mistakenly scheduled surgery on my right knee.”

Mikako notified the nurses, Hamilton said, joking their relationship “got off on the right foot.”

Hamilton would end up spending 24 years at a private university as a professor of International Communications.

“At Tokai University’s Sapporo Campus, in addition to teaching, I managed our incoming and outgoing international programs, advanced to department head and served as vice chancellor on our campus in Hawaii.”

Life in Japan

Hamilton says one of the biggest misconceptions people might have about life in Japan is the iconic scenes of crowded streets and flashing neon lights of Tokyo. While Tokyo’s 13 million people makes it the largest city in the world, the country also has many smaller cities and rural towns, which people don’t realize.

“Hokkaido, with four distinct seasons, expansive forests, mountains, and lakes, and a relatively recent ‘pioneer’ history, remarkably resembles Canada,” he says.

And Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital, and Japan’s fifth largest city with around two million people, is similar to Toronto.

Hamilton notes Nayoro and Lindsay have been sister cities for 55 years, and although many differences naturally exist, many citizens might be surprised by the similarities.

“Both cities lie at the same line of latitude 44 degrees north. As such they share similar climates.” (But Nayoro gets five times more snow – 829 cm annual average versus Lindsay’s 168 cm annual average). Lindsay’s population is 22,367 (2021 census) and Nayoro’s 24,702 (January 2025 estimate). Both cities have strong agricultural sectors with Nayoro boasting some of Japan’s best glutinous rice, the kind used to make mochi rice cakes. Both cities are bisected by rail (Nayoro’s still active) and rivers that are closely tied to their history as regional commercial hubs.

Another misconception may be related to prices, according to Hamilton. While many things are imported and lead to higher costs in general, “I would say Japan is relatively affordable. Even Tokyo’s ranking in terms of cost of living has dropped in recent years, and it’s no longer among the most expensive cities globally.”

Compared to Canada, real estate prices, are significantly lower, especially in rural areas. Unlike in North America, the perceived value of homes depreciates in Japan, typically reaching a value of zero after 30 years. That’s because in Japan, there’s a strong preference for new homes, and newer buildings generally have higher resale value. This is partly due to the perception that new homes are more durable and have better seismic resistance in the earthquake prone nation.

Taking advantage of that fact, Hamilton and his wife purchased a half hectare forested property on the southern outskirts of Sapporo. The house – 55 years old – had been abandoned for at least five years and was home to various wildlife enjoying the overgrown gardens.

“We decided to take on an extensive renovation that took over a year to complete.”

In an effort to blend both Japanese minimalism and Canadian rustic charm some unique features to the home include a wood fireplace, two-door garage, wood-fired sauna and cauldron bath, and a Japanese style tatami room for guests (becoming less common in modern homes).

“On the surrounding property we tap maple trees in spring, grow a vegetable garden in summer, enjoy the colours in autumn and make a skate rink in winter.”

Hamilton’s life in Japan is rare, considering the Pacific country is considered one of the most ethnically homogenous in the world.

“When I first came here 37 years ago, I think 99 per cent of the population identified as Japanese. Recent census figures now put that figure around 97 per cent.”

This is a great contrast to the multicultural society of Canada “and was a big culture shock,” he admits.

With a former history of isolationism, Japan still tends to have an outsider/insider mindset, he says, “and as such it takes time and commitment to fit in.”

Hamilton realized early on that to make friends and understand the culture, it became imperative to learn the language and customs – like communal bathing.

“One could even argue it is the most common leisure activity among Japanese. Many hotels and resorts are built around sources of natural hot springs.”

Today, with his home in the forest, and only a 15-minute drive to a hot spring village, he now enjoys bathing with friends on a weekly basis.

The Rolling Stones and Anthony Bourdain

Prior to becoming a professor, Hamilton fulfilled another life-long dream of making it on a professional hockey team.

“Former Ops teammates will not be surprised that I was not a player, but rather the two-way interpreter for the Canadian coach and five Canadian import players,” he says. The coach, Willie Desjardins, went on in his career to become the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

One of the greatest challenges of Hamilton’s role was the pressure of live post-game “hero interviews.”

“I still recall the confusion on a TV reporter’s face when I gave a literal translation to “I was glad to finally get the monkey off my back,” when our goalie was asked about his shut-out.

Coordinating the 24-hour translation services for the Rolling Stones when they came to Sapporo on their Bigger Bang Tour in 2006 was another career highlight for Hamilton.

He also worked as a location scout and interpreter for Anthony Bourdain and his “No Reservations” film crew in February 2011. Despite the appearance of on-the-spot visits, Hamilton spent a month in advance researching and securing all the restaurants and locations and then spent a week on the road with the crew.

“While my role was to remain off camera, I have a milli-second accidental cameo, but was grateful to have two of my students appear as extras in the first “ramen alley” scene.

Nayoro-Lindsay connection

In 2019, Nayoro and Lindsay recently celebrated 50 years of sister city relations with reciprocal anniversary delegations visiting. Unfortunately, this period was followed by COVID and was a challenging time for overseas exchange. But ultimately, the exchange of students between the two cities has resumed. In the summer of 2024, Zachary Knight was hosted by Nayoro and this summer it will be Lindsay’s turn to reciprocate, hosting a Japanese student.

Hamilton says the Lindsay-Nayoro Twinning Committee is now in the capable hands of Dylan Robichaud, who was a former exchange student to Nayoro in 2009.

“I hope my story speaks for the importance of maintaining our relations with our sister city and dispatching and welcoming youth from our respective communities. The Lindsay-Nayoro exchange shaped my life, helped me establish lifelong bonds, and gave me career opportunities beyond my dreams.”

Identity

One of the more remarkable aspects of Hamilton’s journey is the way his life in Japan has reshaped his personal identity. “Many Japanese friends and students tell me that I am more Japanese than they are,” he says. For him, this sentiment embodies the spirit of omoiyari — a profound sense of empathy, compassion, and thoughtfulness that goes beyond simple politeness. In Japan, mutual respect and a commitment to societal harmony are fundamental values. Although these values are not alien to Canadian culture, Hamilton notes that in today’s politically divisive North America, he finds a refreshing sense of security and unity in Japan.

“At the same time, having lived in the relatively monocultural environment of Japan, I feel a much deeper appreciation for Canada and Canadians including their commitment to multiculturalism and tolerance, politeness and friendliness even among strangers, and a strong desire to build community.”

But after 30 years in education, Hamilton has taken early retirement, or, as he calls it, “a great leap into the unknown.”

He is consciously taking six months to think about next steps, but other than preparing for a visit from his sister, he is considering a few options. These include starting a farmer’s market in his neighbourhood; beginning an organization that provides team-building leadership training and outdoor adventure experiences; expanding his annual Terry Fox Run in Nayoro; keeping the “jungle at bay” in the surrounding forests and gardens of their home; assisting the Lindsay-Nayoro Twinning Committee; and providing tours of Hokkaido for small groups of visitors from Canada.

Home Sweet Home

The legacy of exchanges like those between Nayoro and Lindsay have changed lives irrevocably, as it did for Hamilton. In the quote from Homer at the beginning of this article, one’s “own country” is the focus. And yet what is such an identity predicated on? Place of birth? Years spent living somewhere? Values fit? Other than place of birth, Hamilton could obviously make the case for both nations – and eloquently does.

His life is a reminder that sometimes the greatest rewards are found when we strike out, tear ourselves away from the familiar, and yes – even strip everything away – to try something new.

In the shared meals and unexpected relationships we build, what remains is a life worth living.

Interested in learning more about the Nayoro-Lindsay exchange program? Contact Dylan Robichaud at .