K umi Taguchi is no stranger to travel. The daughter of an Australian mother and a Japanese father, she would visit her grandparents in Tokyo, accompanied by her mother and sister. As an adult, Taguchi spent six years working as a journalist in Hong Kong, while recent trips have taken her to Venice and Uganda.
She will reflect on her relationship with both her father and home in her upcoming memoir, The Good Daughter, out in April. Taguchi wrote the book around her work as the host of SBS TV panel show Insight, where for the past four years she has hosted conversations on topics as diverse as near-death experiences, online dating and modern-day cults. Here, the journalist and presenter shares her early childhood travel memories and the most serene beach she has ever found β and will probably never be able to find again.
Someone whose company I love and who makes me laugh. They need to embrace long days of walking and exploring, with a mix of planning and spontaneity. I am really comfortable and happy travelling on my own, so they need to add to my experience. Going to Tokyo with my Australian mum and sister. Mum would do work there and we would go along with her. We went often, so my neurons wired up for everything Japan: the food, snacks, stationery, toys, subways, smells, politeness, people.
My childhood travel memories are all Japan. Describe your most memorable travel meal β either good, bad or just surprising. On a Japan trip, we stayed at a ryokan inn in the mountains.
While Mum was sorting out our check-in, my sister and I played with these beautiful koi carp in a concrete pond. One in particular took a liking to us, nibbling our fingers and engaging with us. The next morning, we had a traditional breakfast: rice, miso soup, pickles and raw fish.
