A Tasmanian woman and her lifelong pen pal from Japan have been reunited in Australia for the first time after 52 years of long-distance friendship.
Jillian Hall, from Bagdad, started writing to Kumiko Maruyama as part of a high school assignment in 1966, when both were 11 years old.
They initially wrote three or four letters to each other every year.
As the decades rolled on, they exchanged annual Christmas cards and letters sharing important family news.
Ms Hall kept every letter, and the beautiful images of Japan her friend would also send her.
"I always treasured a postcard that had irises on it, and there was another sparkly one with Mt Fuji that I really liked as well," she said.
"When we both married we sent wedding photos and children's photos."
The pair met briefly last year when Ms Hall and her husband David visited Japan on a cruise.
The emotional encounter was enough to convince Ms Maruyama and her husband Fuji that they needed to visit Tasmania for the first time.
For the next few days the couple from the city of Nishio will see the sights of Hobart and meet Ms Hall's extended family, many of whom already feel they know Ms Maruyama from her letters.
"Jillian has lots of plans for us but I just came here to see her again," Ms Maruyama said.
"I do want to see Mount Wellington, MONA and the Tasmanian devil."
Her dream to meet the devil will come true when the friends visit Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary.
Mr Maruyama described the reunion as "like a miracle".
"It's a land of a lot of mystery so I like it here," he said.
Mr Hall said his wife had been eagerly anticipating the visit for weeks.
"It's just magnificent, just to see the expression on her face when they arrived," he said.
Both women agree their letters, and now the occasional email, will be exchanged "forever".
