Hair Style

One of the thing I think about while living in Perth is “where can I get hair-cut?”

In Perth there are only a few Japanese-owned hair salons, so there’s not much choice for me.  I’m sure there are lots more Japanese-owned salons in Eastern states, but not in Perth at the moment 🙁

I know there are hair salons owned by Chinese or some Asians, but I only want to have hair-cut by Japanese hair stylists now.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that they are not good.  It’s just easier for me to explain the details : how I want may hair to be cut etc.  And, I had some bad experiences with non-Japanese hair stylists in the past. :p  It’s easier to get hair cut, colored and permed by Japanese because they know how Japanese girls want to look like… kind of “same point of view” “common sense” that only same nationality people understand 🙂

Now, because I live in Perth I actually don’t really care about my hair style 😛  I just have hair cut only once a half year…. wow :p  So, every time I go back to Japan I realize “oh my gosh how can I be in Japan by looking like this (>0<)”.  When I see Japanese girls on tv or internet I realize how cute and tidy they maintain themselves.  Ummm…  I panic, and think that maybe I should go to hair salon before I go back to Japan, but then I realize it’s much cheaper to go to hair salon in Japan than here.  So, going to a hair salon is the first thing to do in Japan every time I fly to Japan.

Japan’s Unique Mascots

Besides those famous mascots such as Hello Kitty, Doraemon and Pokemon etc, there are hundreds of others in Japan!  It seems that many companies in Japan tend to create their own mascots/characters for marketing purposes as lots of Japanese people (especially kids and women) like cute characters …
Here is few of the popular characters from some Japanese companies…

<Kewpie (QP)>

QP mayonnaise is the biggest mayonnaise brand in Japan, and its brand image character “QP-chan” has been a popular mascot in Japan for years now.  There are many different QP-chan figures in Japan… in different costumes such as student, baby, doctor, Japanese kimono dress etc, and also in famous cartoon/character costumes such as Doragon Balls, Mickey Mouse etc.

<Mister Donut>

As I wrote in my previous post, I love Pon De Lion !!  So cute…  You can collect Pon De Lion’s plates, mugs, aprons, bath towels etc by buying donuts and gaining points at Mister Donut.

<Soft Bank>

So cute doggie!!  This white dog “Otosan” (means “dad” in Japanese) is the mascot of Soft Bank mobile JP, and he is so popular among people in Japan since they started using this dog as their image mascot!  There’re figures, biography and photograph books of him out there and they are selling like pancakes.  He looks like Shiba, but actually Hokkaido-ken (Hokkaido dog). Lovely ~

<Morinaga Choco Ball>

This is one of the long-selller chocolate snack in Japan (I remember eating it a lot since I was a kid) from Morinaga Co.  The reason of being one of the popular snack in Japan is not only its cute character “Kyoro-chan”, but also their long-time promotion; if you find gold or silver angel mark on the beak of the box, you can get a tresure box!  You need to collect either one gold angel or 5 silver angels to get this tresure box, and it is very rare to see the angel mark on the box.  In fact I’ve never got gold angel in my life!  Just one silver… so never seen what’s inside of the tresure box.  I can’t believe Morinaga is still doing this promotion.  It’s been going on at least for 20 years.  

<Kansai TV>

This is very local, but I love the character of Kansai TV, “Kantere”.  You can buy its collectible figures in Kansai TV studio, Kansai airport (KIX) and some shops in Kansai area.  I just love its face…  I used to use Kantere’s pen in high school :p  And, I got Kantere’s cup when I went back to Japan last time.  (can u find the blue plastic mug?) 🙂

Shopping Day

This morning my mother-in-law and I went out to buy a rangehood – an exhaust fan for the kitchen. Every time I go to Harvey Norman, Good Guys, Retravision or Bunnings etc on Saturday I get tempted by those sizzling hot dogs… it’s almost impossible to just ignore the smell and walk pass ! (><) I tried to be calm and run into the store before I open my purse to get some coins. As I walk around the kitchen section I realized that I haven’t used my coffee machine for a while. About a year ago my hubby (to-be) and I bought a coffee machine (Saeco) and used everyday for few weeks, but now it’s just sitting on the kitchen bench without being used! What a waste… I love coffee, but I try not to drink more than 2 cups a day (get hurt-burn easily these days… getting old? 🙁 ) and I usually drink 2 cups while in the office, so I don’t get to drink it in the night time at home. I thought I should make a nice coffee for myself after I finish this shopping, and make something similar to hot dog but nicer.

Right after I get home I toasted 2 slices of bread, and sandwiched whatever I had in the fridge. 🙂

Scrambled eggs with tasty cheese and lots of herbs (thyme, basil, etc), 2 slices of ham, lettuce and a slice of Jarlsberg cheese. Oh my gosh it was so nice… I wish I had an avocado to spread on the toast.

After munching on this sandwich with a nice cup of coffee, I went shopping again for some clothes. Tomorrow we are doing a pre-shoot with our wedding photographer and I thought I should wear some nice clothes… we are going to get the photo printed out so I want to look “nice” in the picture :p

I also wanted to buy a tiara for my wedding (I know, I haven’t bought it yet 🙁 ) but I forgot! What am I gonna do.. I really need to push myself out for shopping one day to just look for a tiara!

Tiara is not a necessary thing, but I like tiara and want to wear it on church ceremony, on dinner with my friends after wedding, in Japan (maybe!) and in the party in Jakarta. You don’t get to wear it often in your life, hehe.

Indonesian/Malay Food

I’m so lucky to have a chance to eat many kinds of Asian food. While I was in Japan I didn’t get to eat any Middle Eastern/Eastern/Sough Asian food, except for satay and Nasi Goreng at Izakaya. Of course, they didn’t taste like how they should taste, as they changed the recipe to suit Japanese people’s mouth. Since I came to Perth I’ve had so many food that I’d never eaten.

One of them is Chinese food. There are many Chinese people in Perth so I could try eating more real Chinese food here. In Japan we have lots of Chinese restaurants too, but those food are made for Japanese people, I think. When I asked my friend (Chinese) about some Chinese dish I know, she had no clue what I was talking about. In Japan, typical Chinese dish is “Happo-sai (八宝菜)”, “Hoi-Ko-lo(回鍋肉)”, “Chin-jao-lo-su(青椒肉絲)”, “Ebi Chili (chili prawn), “gyoza (dumplings) etc. For instance, if you order Hoi-Ko-lo(回鍋肉) you will get exact same dish from any restaurants in Japan, it’s always a thinly-sliced pork and cabbage dish stir-fried with some miso paste and other sauces. But, I believe that this Hoi-Ko-lo(回鍋肉) means just “stir-fried meat dish” in Chinese.(according to these Chinese characters) We just call this dish as Hoi-Ko-lo(回鍋肉) and believe this is the name of this dish, but I think it can be any meat dish and with any sauces. If you go to China and order “Hoi-Ko-lo(回鍋肉)” in a restaurant I don’t think I can get the exact Hoi-Ko-lo(回鍋肉) dish as I know. (or maybe they don’t even understand it)

I’d never eaten “san choi bow”, “Japanese tofu”, “Peking ribs” etc before, and now they are my favorites.

Now, about Indonesian food. My mother-in-law (to be in one month) cooks lots of Indonesian/Chinese food for us, and I love them! Some people think Japanese can not eat spicy food, but I do. I always keep fresh chili in my garden!

Every time she fly to Perth, she cooks beef rendang, siew mai (chewy steamed dumplings with peanuts sauce. She always coat boiled eggs, tofu and boiled potatoes with mince meat and then steam. Different from what I knew as siew mai in Japan), gado-gado (mixture of blanched vegetables with peanuts sauce), bak mee (soup noodle), oxtail soup, ayam goreng (deep-fried chicken), sayur asem (sour soup with vegetables), bachang (triangular-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped with bamboo leaves. She stuff mixture of mince meat inside) etc etc …

She also cooks some desserts, I will up-date it later…

I had rendang last night. RIght after I opened the door I knew she was cooking rendang. Smells so nice… Beef is very soft and melts in your mouth, so you don’t even need to chew. She usually accompany rendang with hard boiled eggs.

I’m now waiting for her cooking some siew mai… very yummy. 🙂

Is Japanese Mayonnaise going to disappear from Australia??

As you can tell, Western style mayonnaise and Japanese mayonnaise taste pretty different.
Japanese mayonnaise contains more eggs comparing to Western ones, and it’s thicker in texture and richer in taste.  I had a difficulty eating Western style mayonnaise when I just came to Perth because it tasted totally
different from what I knew as mayonnaise and didn’t like it at all. :p

Now I’m used to the taste of Western style mayo, but I keep Japanese mayo in my fridge too just to eat with some Japanese food such as Okonomi-yaki, sushi rolls and kara-age.  I can eat Western style mayo in sandwiches and salad, but it’s definitely not for Japanese food.

Western style mayonnaise, (well it’s the standard mayonnaise in the world but I call it Western style) is made with egg yolk, oil, vinegar (or some acid such as lemon juice) and mustard.

According to the package of typical Japanese mayonnaise it contains apple cider vinegar (or rice vinegar) and a small amount of MSG….  doesn’t sound good, but I guess that’s the reason why Japanese mayo is so tasty…

Because of the high ratio of eggs contained in Japanese mayonnaise, Australian government prohibits travelers bringing them into Australia.  You can find Japanese mayonnaise in Asian grocery shops but they are very expensive.  The most popular Japanese mayonnaise brand is QP (kewpie) and it’s the biggest mayonnaise company in Japan.  There are few other brands but usually QP is the most expensive one.

Now, Australian government is getting more strict on this product and they don’t even allow some importers to release those Japanese mayo into Australia.  Which means, you can’t even buy it from grocery stores.  The people who will be in trouble are Japanese restaurant owners.  Japanese restaurants need Japanese mayonnaise otherwise some dishes don’t taste like how they supposed to do.

Fortunately some of QP mayonnaise and other brands’ are permitted at this point.  Those permitted mayonnaise contains less egg % .

In case all the Japanese mayonnaise get prohibited, Japanese restaurants’ chefs should learn how to make Japanese style mayonnaise?

Food from Jakarta and Japan’s mobiles

I try not to buy and keep lots of snacks/sweets at home otherwise I can’t control myself from eating all the time, but now my house is full of food as in-laws recently got back from Jakarta and brought so many things with them.  Sometimes I admire them for bringing so much food into this super strict country (Australia).  They just know what food can and can not to be brought into Australia very well.

Shiga

Shiga is a prefecture located in the centre of the main island in Japan.  …and also, my hometown!  Prefecture means something like “suburb” “state” “county” … few people didn’t understand what “prefecture” means when I was talking about Japan, so just in case.

Shiga is not a large city, and there are lots of mountains and rice field.  so, it has a typical country side landscape.  In fact some area in Shiga is really rustic and you can see nothing but mountains.  In Japanese, we call this type of place as “inaka”.

My house is near mountains and rice fields as well, but fortunately I was more into “city side” and often went out to Kyoto/Osaka side, so I didn’t really feel like I was living in a mountain :p  That’s the thing I like about Shiga.  One side has a totally “inaka” environment, and other has a city environment.  I’m not talking about big city like Osaka or Tokyo of course, but the size of city in Shiga is just right, and it’s quite similar to Perth actually.  Wide road, nice view, not too busy…  In fact, Kusatsu-city, near the capital city of Shiga (capital city is Otsu-city) was voted as “the most livable city in Japan” few years ago.  So was Nagahama-city, which is just above Hikone-city in Shiga.

(you can see some photos I took on my last trip here.  Just scroll down to the bottom.  Also this is the photos I took near my house in 2003)

For people who might have an interest in visiting this place, I’ve listed up a few things what people can do in this prefecture ↓↓↓

<Fishing>

The biggest lake, and one of the world’s most ancient lakes in Japan, Biwako Lake is in Shiga prefecture.  Biwako Lake is a very famous fishing spot and people from other prefectures and even from other countries visit Biwako Lake every year.  Some people might have heard this news but a 10.12kg, 73.5 cm bass was caught on the 2nd of July this year (just few weeks ago) by Manabu Kurita, a pro staffer representing Deps Tackle Co. in Japan.  Wow…   I used to swim in the lake when I was a kid!  I’m really happy that I didn’t see something like this huge fish in the water then.  Besides black basses, you can fish bluegills, sweetfishes, carps (koi) etc…  My grandpa liked fishing and I ate lots of fish (including koi) back then at home.

<Biwako Cruise>

“Michigan” cruise is one of most popular entertainment of Biwako Lake.  “Michigan” is a name of this ferry and it’s got 2~3 stories.  I’ve been on this ferry when I was little and remember enjoying popcorn and entertainment on the deck while feeling refreshing breeze.  Cruise leaves from Otsu Port, goes up north to Biwako Lake Bridge and returns back.

<Rowboat Tour>

This tour is a famous tourist attraction in Ohmihachiman-city.  The lord Toyotomi Hidetugu, about 400 years ago, was the first one who toured through the canals following a sail of royal people. Take a roofed 6-seater rowboat through winding canals running into Biwako Lake. You can enjoy seasonal changes in the scenery of Omihachiman.

<Biwako Lake Museum>

This museum is in Kusatsu-city (my grandma lives there).  I’m not really a museum person but I like going there!  There are various exhibits showing : how to think of environmental issues, how Biwako Lake was formed, the history of relationship between the lake and the people… but also lots of fish that live in Biwako Lake.  It’s like an aquarium, really.  You can see various kinds of fresh water fish and animals including turtles, ducks, deep-sea (lake?) fish and fresh water sharks.  You can experience some activities too, so it may be a good place for kids to explore.  You can see some of exhibits closely and touch some of them directly.  Videos and PC software are available for public perusal, and you can look at some specimens through the microscope at one of the galleries.  Very interesting to see how Japanese people lived in decades ago.

<Biwako Valley>

The nearest ski ground from Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe area.  .Most courses are designed for beginners and intermediates.  During the off-season, it’s also fun to explore the mountain, riding in a 120-seater ropeway car, looking for animals and flowers. I used to go there every winter while I was in elementary school for skiing.  (one of school activity)

<Ishiyama-dera Temple>

Ishiyama-dera Temple is one of the most famous holy places for Goddess of Mercy as well as Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto and Hasedera Temple in Nara.  Ishiyama-dera Temple was often described in ancient literary works such as “Suzumushi Nikki” “Sarashina Nikki” and “Makura-no-Soshi”  It has been said that Murasaki-shikibu conceived an idea for “Tale of Genji – Genji Monogatari” while she stayed at Ishiyama-dera Temple.  The temple is also known as one of views in Omi -Genji Monogatari.  Very historical place!  My high school was just near this temple.

<Hiyoshi Grand Shrine>

Hiyoshi Grand Shrine, also known as Sanno Gongen, is the head temple of Hiyoshi sect of Shinto.  Various beautiful shrines remain on the premise, such as a national treasure Higashi Hon-to and Nishi Hon-to.  Hiyoshi Osanbashi Bridge is said to be the oldest stone bridge in Japan. It is designated as an important cultural property.  Gorgeous Hiyoshi Toshogu Shrine is about 300M south from Hiyoshi Grand Shrine.  Hiyoshi Toshogu Shrine decorated with colorfully painted carvings has kept its original shape since early Edo period!

<Old Chikurin In Garden>

This is in Otsu-sity, the capital of Shiga prefecture.  The garden of Chikurin In Temple (one of the most respected temples among Enryakuji Temple) sits at the foot of Mt. Hachioji and clear water of Omiya River runs into the winding creek.  Two teahouses and a waiting room built during Tensho period (1573-1592) are designated as cultural properties by Otsu-city.  Visitors can enjoy a serving of green tea in the hall where the beautiful garden can be seen throughout the year.

Pizza around the world

                                   

                                 

                                       

                                     

                                   

Who have you adopted?

Here are the stories from PetRescue about unwanted pets finding new home…

<Buzz’s Story>

Buzz was always smiling. That’s why he stood out to Pam who had a big empty space in her family and was looking for a new friend for her Golden Retriever, Tyson.

Although Buzz was once unwanted, after having his profile on PetRescue everyone wanted to take him home! And when Tyson met Pam he knew he’d found his perfect person…

<Cherub’s Story>

<Matisse’s Story>

Matisse and her siblings came to stay with their foster carer Rebecca until they were big and strong enough to find new homes.

“I’m what you call a ‘failed foster carer!” says Rebecca. 

“Matisse captured my heart and we bonded instantly. She has the most amazing, easy going nature.”

What a clever puss to find the perfect forever home without even leaving her rescuer!

<Bindi’s Story>

Bindi and her brothers and sisters were found dumped in bushland and caring rescuers saved their lives and nursed them back to health.

When it came time to find the perfect forever families for them, PetRescue was the place! Within a few days all of the litter had fantastic new homes and Bindi was matched with the Cloustons who gave her a great new name after their hero, Steve Irwin. Bindi has proven to be a real ‘Aussie dog’ with a big heart. She is now looking forward to a happy future with her people.

If you are thinking to have a pet, why don’t you go to animal shelters.  Those animals are once unwanted, but looking for loving new owners and warm home.

Tanabata

Today is 07 July… it’s Tanabata in Japan!  Tanabata is Japanese star festival, takes place on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year, when, according to a Chinese legend, the two stars Altair and Vega, which are usually separated from each other by the milky way, are able to meet.  

Tanabata story is very romantic.  According to those separated stars, the story is about two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi, are allowed to meet only once a year on this day.  The river separates these lovers is Milky Way, called “Amano-gawa” in Japan.  Amano-gawa means “river in Heaven”.  

Here is the story ..

Orihime (織姫 Weaving Princess), daughter of the Tentei (天帝 Sky King, or the universe itself), wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa (天の川Milky Way, lit. “heavenly river). Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it. However, Orihime was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星 Cow Herder Star) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly thereafter. However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa and forbade them to meet. Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei was moved by his daughter’s tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime worked hard and finished her weaving. The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait until another year to meet. (wikipedia)

In Japanese custom, we celebrate this day by writing wishes on Tanzaku (small pieces of paper) and hung them on bamboo tree.  With Tanzaku and other decoration, the bamboo is set afloat on a river in the night time.  

Many areas in Japan have their own Tanabata customs, but this is what I did when I was a child.  Besides, there is a river named “Amano-gawa” near my house and this is the place my family and I set the bamboo tree afloat every year on this day.

Now, still, I write a wish on Tanzaku and hung on a tree in the garden although we don’t set the tree afloat in a river.  Just keeping up one of Japanese custom here :p

Some photos from Japan ↓↓↓

Web Catalogs

Nowadays we can do lots of things online: rent DVD, meet your friends/family, search jobs, transfer money, change your mobile status, business meeting, buy tickets etc… without leaving home.  Still, people sometimes prefer going out for meet-up or shopping of course, otherwise they become hermit crabs!

I like online shopping and mail shopping though, I can look at catalogs at home and enjoy shopping anytime.  But, sometimes things I order look different from what I saw on catalogs or web and it’s the demerit of online/mail shopping – you can’t touch the material, check color with our eyes, and try them on.

I’m browsing few Japanese online shops to buy some clothes and stuff so that I can receive them when I go back home, but I don’t wanna buy pants and shoes online anymore…  Last time I ordered 2 pairs of pants from UNIQLO web shop, and asked my dad to bring them over here (he was coming to Perth).  I was looking forward those pants but I couldn’t fit them, they’re little too tight and too long.  If I go to UNIQLO shop I can get adjusted the hem for free.  And, I can try them on before buying of course.

The site I’m checking out right now is what I was looking for, actually.  This site offers digital catalog online, so you can search each shop’s specials or sale items online.  With this site, I can check what to look for and buy when I get to Japan.

You can even check very local shops, such as Jusco or Joshin if they have any current catalogs out.  It’s good to know what products are on sale before you go shopping so that you can save time to look around.

In Australia there is also online web-catalog site called “Lasoo“, if you wanna check it out.

Tea Party

Today one of my friend came over to my house.  We’ve been friends since we were students at one of English school in Perth.  She just got married with her long time boyfriend who is also from the same school, and they are having a baby!  I’m soooo happy for them.

When they called me up I was so excited and I started making some cream puff (in Japan we call them “choux cream”) using ready-to-make mixture and welcomed them.

They looked so happy, and told me that they just bought a land and building a new house.  This year, 90% of my friends who live here bought houses!  And, 4 people (including myself) is getting married (or already married) this year, and two of them are having babies!  What’s with 2009…?  Happy-rush??

I’ve been also thinking to buy a house, actually.  But I can’t make up my mind as somewhere in head my I’m still thinking to go back to Japan.  Buying a house is a big decision and a big shopping.  I’m not sure I’m ready to settle myself in this country and pay the loan for another OO years…

Anyway I think I’m spending huge amount of money this year…  for my wedding, trip to Japan/Jakarta, housewarming party, wedding gifts, baby gifts etc…

My brother and I are also planning a trip to Las Vegas with my dad as he is turning to 60 next year.  Being 60 is a pretty big occasion in Japan, and usually people stop working and start enjoying their life by receiving superannuation.  I remember my dad saying that he wants to go to casino in Las Vegas, so I really wanna take him there to cereblare.  He, as a normal Japanese man, is a hard-worker and I respect him a lot.  Actually he told me that he still wants to work even after his 60th birthday, and he already got a job for next year after retiring his current job at city hall.  … he sure likes working!  He also takes care of our rice fields too :p  That’s a man who I know as my dad.  Muscular! I don’t know if we can really go on the trip to LV as he desided to continue working, but I wish someday…

Kyoto

As my home is in Kansai area, I often go to Kyoto and Osaka while I’m in Japan.  It’s about 1 hour away from my house, and just 10 minutes away from my grandma’s house to go to Kyoto by train.  You can drink and eat in the train in Japan, so it’s kind of like a picnic to me.
There are many vending machines, small food court and convenience stores inside of train stations so you can just grab some hot coffee and snack and enjoy it on the train.  Oh, you can only relax if you are sitting down in the train, by the way.  Usually train get crowded around Kyoto station, and you can’t find any seat.  Then, you will have to stand up whole trip and it will be a tiring, sleepy, boring trip.

Kyoto is one of my favorite cities in Japan.  I always recommend it to my foreign friends who want to visit Japan.  Kyoto has long history and you can enjoy visiting historical places and enjoy beautiful views.  Kyoto is famous for its healthy food too.
To me, however, I was born in Japan and always surrounded by those things, so I didn’t really have any interests in visiting historical places while I was young.  I mostly went to Kyoto for shopping and
visiting popular restaurants/cafes.  Now, things changed and I like visiting old temples/shrines on my homecomings.

People I met in Kyoto

2 years ago, I was staying in Japan for few months and one of my friend (from Czechoslovakia) visited Japan.  He asked me to show around Kyoto to him, so we met in front of Kyoto train station and headed to Ume’s Kyoto tour.  … Actually, I didn’t really know where the famous tourist destinations and how to get there :p   So, we went to tourist information concierge desk (which is located on the first floor in Kyoto train station) This place was a helper!  They know everything about Kyoto:  transport, bus/train/subway timetable, nice restaurants, historical buildings, etc etc.  And, they gave us a map written in English.  They also had maps in Korean, Chinese, French etc.
Then, we followed the map and visited lots of famous places in Kyoto.  We didn’t take any bus or subway from the start point.  We could just walk all the way.  …  We really walked a lot!!   but it was very nice trip.  We had delicious food, visited inside of famous temples, and took lots of photos.  One day wasn’t enough, actually.

The area I went with this friend was just a part of Kyoto.  There are more places that you can enjoy in Kyoto.

On this Sep, I’m planning to take my in-laws to Kyoto.  They requested me that they want to see “Japanese” things, so I’m planning to take them to Gion, Kawara-machi and Arashiyama.  We only have one day to spend in Kyoto, so I don’t think we can go other cities.

Gion and Kawaramachi is close and you can walk.  There are things you can do&see between (eg: cafes, restaurants, department stores, Geisha town, game centre, theatre etc) so you won’t get bored.  There is a famous river called Kamo-gawa River in Kawara-machi, and there’re very very nice (and expensive :p) restaurants on the river.  Because the restaurants are on the river, it’s quite cool even in summer, and you can enjoy delicious food while listening to the sound of water in quiet surroundings.  You will forget that you are in middle of Kyoto!

Although the distance between Gion and Kawara-machi is not that long, some people may feel it’s a very long walk.  I prefer walking though, as I can look around things closely and also save some transport fee. 🙂

Arashiyama is a very popular tourist destination. You will need to take a bus, subway or taxi to get there.  The scenery is beautiful, and whole town is quiet.  River and tree, but it’s not like a country side.  You can experience things that you imagine about Japan: experiencing traditional Japanese tea ceremony, wear kimono (Japanese traditional dress) and walk around bamboo forest, eating very traditional and expensive Japanese food (called “Kaiseki Ryori”) etc.  I think my in-laws will love to see this bamboo forest.  This place is  so beautiful!

Japanese Tale

I was told lots of Japanese old tales from my grand parents when I was little.  Some of them are famous stories like “Momo Taro” “Saru Kani Gassen” “Kachi Kachi  Yama” etc, but also they told me about “hell” quite often.

Fox Wedding

It’s been raining last couple of days…  Rainy season has came :p

In winter in Perth it rains almost everyday…  We don’t get any snow, but cold weather + rain.  I don’t mind raining days, but I really hate huge snails moving around my house! (><)  Not only my house but everywhere…  I can’t go outside for walking because I know I will definitely step on huge snails on the road…

This morning was raining, but the sun was out.  In Japan we call this weather (sunny and raining at the same time) “Fox Wedding”.  The origin for this, I think, is because of a Japanese old tale.  In Japan, foxes and raccoons are depicted as the epitome of deception, able to transform into any shape or form it strategically desires.  There are many tales about foxes/raccoons tricking people in Japan.  So, if it rain while sun is out, it’s obviously strange and people thought “ah, foxes are trying to trick us again!”.

By the way, the weather “snowing and raining at the same time” is called “raccoon’s wedding”.

Fox Wedding Tale (by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford)

Another fox related tales…

The Grateful Foxes

How a Man Was Bewitched and Had His Head Shaved by the foxes

(by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford)

The Fox and the Tanuki

(by Lafcadio Hearn)

Read more Japanese stories →

Mask!

In Japan you get to see lots of people wearing masks everywhere, such as in a train, supermarkets and on the street.  My friend who visited Japan last spring told me that he was kind of scared when he saw many people crossing the road with white masks…  To imagine the scene, yes it’s scary actually :p  

The big reason for that is because many people in Japan have hay fever and try to avoid the pollen as much as they can by wearing masks.  For other, they just have cold or want to avoid inhaling some dust…

Now, swine flu is getting serious around Osaka area, and some of the schools around Kansai are closed.  I’m from Shiga, and I was telling my family “don’t go to Osaka, Kyoto area!” but seems that there’s one person who is suffering from swine flu in Shiga (Otsu) already!  

Now, because of the flu, masks are selling like hot cakes.  Lots of shops are out of stock…  even amazon.jp sold out masks!  Mask has the biggest demand in Japan right now!

I don’t usually wear mask even in Japan (because I don’t have hay fever), but if I go back to Japan right now I’ll be wearing mask everyday everywhere!

Japanese TV Commercial

As some people know, Japanese tv shows are quite different from other countries’.  There are many comedy shows everyday, and the way they produce the shows is very comical (and sometimes I feel that’s too much :p)

Japanese joke is the most funniest, yet sometimes little cruel (that’s what I think).  You know, in Japanese comedy shows, comedians have to use their body to get the laugh (by getting hit, punched, etc) … :p  And I sometimes think that it’s too much.  Especially nowadays…. some of the jokes are not funny at all!

… anyway, when my hubby first visited Japan, he seemed to enjoy Japanese tv shows even though he doesn’t understand any words.  He said that Japanese tv shows, even tv commercials, are very funny.

Here are some of the funny/over reacting tv commercials…

Kurakon TV commercial

Fanta Drinks TV commercial

Kincho TV commercial

UFO Noodle TV commercial

Sapporo Beer TV commercial

Nisshin Cup Noodle TV commercial

…..

Ramune drinks

Ramune is a carbonated soft drink which you can find in Japan. Ramune is one of the symbols of summer in Japan and you’ll see this drink during warm festival days and nights.

Ramune’s bottle is known for its very distinctive design: they are made of glass and sealed with a marble.  The marble is held on the narrowest part of the bottle to keep pressure of the carbon in the drink. To open the bottle, a device to push the marble inward is provided with the bottle. The marble is pushed inside the neck of the bottle where it rattles around while drinking.

The flavor of Ramune I know is sweet, it’s almost like sprite.  It’s transparent but it looks like it’s blue color because of the blue colored bottle.  That’s the original Ramune which I used to drink when I was little.

…. now, I found these!

Left: Curry Flavored Ramune

Middle: Wasabi Flavored Ramune

Right: Almond Jelly Flavored Ramune

They are genuinely made in Japan, by the way.

… Would you drink them?  I mean, curry flavored soda drinks?!  Wasabi?  … Almond Jelly may be fine, but other two are not really tempting.

I’m curious though, how it tastes like…

In Perth they are available in some places…  if you wanna try those.

Mother’s Day

Tomorrow is mother’s day!  What’s your plan?

There’re so many things you can get for your mam from shopping centre, florist, book shops etc…  I got this massage thing for mother_in_law (to be).  I didn’t have any other ideas what to get for her.. :p

My mam is in Japan, so it’s not easy to organize something for her from here 🙁  I know my mam wouldn’t care, but I thought it’d be nice if I do something..

I usually buy something online and send it to mam’s house.  This time, I chose to send flower to her 🙂

This shop does FREE delivery on Mother’s day.  I hope she’ll like it!

By the way the name of this shop is “Flower for Mother’s Day”.  This means the shop only gets customers on this day?  I wonder how they can get profit…..  In Perth I see “Christmas shop” which sells only Christmas goods.  I understand this business as Christmas is a big day of the year.

…. I think I should have written this post in Japanese as this flower shop is in Japan :p

…って事で、海外に住んでる日本人の方、日本に居るお母さんにお花を送ってみませんか？

Bijin Tokei

Bijin Tokei (English) means “beautiful clock” in Japanese.  Someone started this website where you can see beautiful Japanese girls holding a black board with time, and it changes every minute.  That means, one girl is holding “3:15: board, and next minute another girl is hodling “3:16” board.

Some people (especially guys, of course!) are crazy about this and keep checking girls evey minute!

You can set this bijin tokei on the sidebar of your site, email page etc, (my husband actually set this on my gmail so I have to look at Japanese girls every minute :p)

Early Morning…

Today I woke up very early. (4am!)  I went to bed early last night, so I think that’s the reason…

I’ve been having thought about my family, my future etc lately.  It’s not about serious matters though, I just like to think and daydream about things.  I got tickets to Japan and am so excited to go home in September, but at the same time I’m thinking “can I not come back to Perth and live in Japan?”  Every time I fly home, I can only stay there for up to 2 weeks 🙁  I know I can’t do anything about it because it’s my company’s policy: “we can only take annual leaves up to 10 days at a time”.  I don’t wanna risk losing my job (yet), but for me, there is no enough time to spend with my family on my every homecoming.

I came to Perth in 2003 as a student.  I was going to study English for just 1 year here, and move to some other city or country to study something else.  But things changed and I decided to stay in Perth.  It was my decision and I definitely don’t regret that,  (Perth is beautiful place to live) but I think my family didn’t expect me staying in Perth for the rest of my life!  They thought I was coming back home after 1 year.  Now, since then, I can only go home once a year for just 2 weeks.  I miss them and I know they miss me too.  I really think that I need to be with my family longer than 2 weeks and talk about stuff, like “what I’m going to do” and “where I’m going to live” etc.  I couldn’t say good-bye to my grandpa when he passed away (I was in Perth) and it really break my heart 🙁

Anyway, I just want to plan things and try to spend more time at home, especially with my grandma 🙂

This morning I went walking around my house.  It was very cold!  I think winter is just around the corner already.  So fast…

I had nice breakfast: plain bagel with cream cheese and freshly brewed coffee!  Since I bought a coffee machine I feel that I drink too much coffee :p  but I love it.

Photos from Australia

This is a photo blog by a Japanese who travels around Australia.  The photos on this blog are truly beautiful and take my breath away!  These images are exactly what I imagine of Australia before I came here.  Lots of nature, lots of wildlife…  This guy captured the moment of natural beauty!

And more at here!

The title of this blog “Image to Kotoba” = “Images and Words”.  Words are written in Japanese, but I’m sure that anyone can feel the moment of each scene.

Modern Japanese Beauty Salon

I noticed my skin and hair condition got really bad since I came to Australia.  I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one who feels that way.  The biggest cause of this, I believe, is the air.  The air here is really really dry!  My eyes need eye drops every half an hour, and my skin looks like it has scales on it.  That’s way I can’t neglect to use body lotion after shower.  I think UV and water are also the causes.  Water here is hard, and water in Japan is soft.  I don’t know what difference it causes to our body but I definitely feel my hair is softer and moist in Japan.  Here, even though I use same shampoo from Japan I feel my hair is very dry.  Well, so I have to put a little more effort to maintain my body in Perth.

Actually I seldom go to a beauty salon to get massage or some kinds of treatment.  It doesn’t mean I don’t like it, it’s just because I don’t wanna spend lots of money on myself.  I’m pretty sure lots of girls like getting massage and beauty treatments.  Don’t you?  I am too.  So when I feel “oh my body really really needs some help…” I go out to get my body rescued.

This beauty salon MC Beauty is located in Northbridge, and the owner Mrs Mako is a professional beauty practitioner.  All the staff there are highly skilled Japanese beauticians and some of their machines are directly brought from Japan.  That’s why I only go to this place in Perth.  I feel safe!

I’ve been there few times for IPL, but today I experienced their special facial treatment.  It was my first time to get facial treatment in my life!

Oh my gosh… it was soooo nice.  I almost fell asleep.  Seriously!  This special facial treatment has 14 steps, and they massage my decollete, shoulders, neck and legs/arms too.  These steps include deep-cleansing, peeling, ion innovation, buble cleansing, mask, spinal electric massage etc…

The skin care they use is 100% organic naturally produced in Australia, (a brand called Janesce) and I loved the scent of rose.  They said to me that rose extract actually helps reviving body tissue too.  They of course have other than rose if you don’t like the rose scent.

Now my skin looks very different.  Smooth and moist.  After the session they said that my body age accorning to the spinal electric thing is 42!  Oh no…  They taught me some strech and massage techniques so that I can do it at home.  It’s nice that I can see the analysis of my skin level and body condition in a graph.  The staff are very friendly yet professional, that’s the reason why I wanna come back here in the future.

Beauty…

About 4 months ago I found this web-blog by a Japanese woman who lives in UK.  Apparently she is a pro photographer and she shows stunning photos in the website.

I don’t know much about photos (like “what is a good photo” “how to take photo”), but these pictures blew me away!  So beautiful.

Her photos in Kyoto have captured the natural beauty that you can experience in ordinary days.  Simply stunning.  I could almost feel the air in these photos.

I actually used these photose to show in-laws that what Japan is like.  We are going there in September!  Can’t wait!

Photos in Kyoto→nordljus

Free Vaccination Program!

Did you know that the Australian Government is offering free HPV vaccination to women aged 18-26 years of age through general practitioners till 30 June 2009?  If you are a woman between the ages you won’t wanna miss this out.  

“HPV (human papillomavirus) is a common virus that infects the skin and mucous membranes.  There are about 100 types of HPV.  Approximately 30 of those are spread through genital contact (typically sexual intercourse).  There are around 12 – called “low-risk” types of HPV, and approximately 15 “high-risk” types of HPV that can cause cervical cancer.  Infection with the most common types of “genital” HPV can be prevented with the HPV vaccine.”

<from The HPV Test>

According to the website the vaccine lasts at least five years, and it’s given as a series of three shots over a six-month period; after the first shot, the woman needs to return two and six months later. To get the full benefit of the vaccine, all three shots must be given.

I think this is a good chance for women to get some protection for cervical cancer, and hope the aim of this program – the reduction in incidence of cervical cancer in Australia – succeeds.  

I’m getting one too.  Just ask your GP for more info! 🙂

Swan Animal Fete!

Are you free this Sunday 5th April 2009??  If you live around Perth and would like to help cute doggies, why not attend this annual garage sale at Swan Animal Haven?

This dog home is located at 21 Kalamunda Road, South Guildford in Western Australia.  Donations of cakes, jams, plants and bric-a-brac would be much appreciated.

For more info, visit their website. 🙂

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

South GuildfordにあるSwan Animal Havenというアニマル施設で、今週の日曜日4月5日にガレッジセールが行われます。

売上げ金や寄付等は全てこの施設運営費へとあてられます。おうちの無いワンちゃん達の力になってあげませんか？？

ワンちゃんの里親やボランティアも随時募集中。詳しくはコチラをどうぞ。

Japanese Sommelier

Since in-laws are back in Perth, I haven’t been cooking at all at home :p  Kind of nice, I just eat whatever she cooks.  But, I’m actually fussy about food:  fussy in nutrition, not in taste :p  I eat anything, but prefer healthy food.  Lots of vegetables, not oily, light food is the best! – like Japanese food…  On the other hand, she always cooks food with oil.  Deep-fry, most of the time.  I can’t eat them everyday…  make me feel not good (><)

Well, I can’t complain, I know.  She is cooking for us.  So, I keep fresh vegetables in the fridge for myself to eat with her food everyday.  

… anyway,

Change of subject.  

Do you know what “sommelier” is?  “sommelier” means trained and knowledgeable wine professional.  So, it originally supposed to be pointing at “wine person”, however there are many unique professional people called “sommelier” in Japan.

Cheese sommelier, Liquor sommelier should be common in other countries too ( I think), but there are knife sommelier, herb sommelier, rice sommelier, air sommelier, vegetable sommelier, etc… in Japan.  Recently I was surprised when one of my friend sent an email saying “hey I got a certificate for Onsen sommelier”. 

Onsen means “hot spring spa” in Japan.  I didn’t know there is such an occupation for being a professional about hot spring!  She passed the exam to be Onsen sommelier, so she must know lots of nice Onsen in Japan.  I will definitely ask her for recommendation!  I really want to go to nice Onsen in Japan.

Ume in Perth

People get surprised when I tell them this, but I have never been outside of Western Australia.  I’ve been living in Australia for almost 6 years, but never been to Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast etc…  I originally love traveling, but I guess I haven’t had chance to go anywhere.  It’s surprising to me too actually, I really think I should explore outside of WA sometime soon!

More surprising thing is, I don’t even leave Perth Metropolitan area often.  Plus I’ve never been to popular tourist destinations even around WA such as Monkey MIa, Wave Rock, Ayres (Airs) Rock, Albany etc.  The places I’ve been since I came to Perth are Swan Valley, Rottnest Island, Margaret River, Pemberton, Busselton and Bunbury.  Wow..

So, I’m planning to travel somewhere this year if I can.  Does anyone have recommendation where I should go?  I’m thinking maybe Melbourne… or Gold Coast.  Melbourne, I have a friend over there and I can visit her.  Or go to Gold Coast and pretend like I’m an ordinal Japanese tourist who just flew from Kansai airport :p

By the way I’m actually going back to Japan around September (as I promised my grandma on my previous homecoming), so the trip within Australia might going to happen next year.  If I had a chance to fly to Japan I prefer it to anywhere else.  This time the Japan trip will be a different one as I’m planning traveling around Japan and stay at Ryokan (Japanese style hotel) with Onsen (natural hot spring)  (our pre-honeymoon :))  I can’t wait!  Traveling really eases my tension and stress.

(photo from lonelyplanet)

Tea

I just read an interesting article about tea 🙂

– History-

「The delicious qualities of tea were first discovered by an early Chinese Emperor.  He and his court stopped to rest whilst visiting a remote region one summer day.  As his servants began boiling water to drink, dried leaves from a nearby Camellia Sinensis plant fell into the boiling water and a brown liquid with a tempting scent began to infuse.  With both his scientific curiosity and his taste buds immediately aroused, the Emperor tasted the liquid.  He declared it to give “vigour of body, contentment of mind and determination of purpose.”」

Whilst there are so many kinds of tea in the world, people seem to think that Japanese tea = green tea only.  However there are more varieties, actually.  Ryoku-cha (green tea), Genmai-cha, Mugi-cha, Hato-mugi-cha, Houji-cha, Sen-cha, Maccha, etc etc…  They all taste different and the scent is so individual.

By the way, did you know that both English tea and Japanese Green tea all come from the same plant?  They taste different because of the manufacturing process!  And, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world after water.  Considering the numerous kinds of tea in the world, it’s not a surprising fact at all.

Among the variety of tea, I like Genmai-cha and Houji-cha. Those roasted tea give me an energy and calm my nerves down.  For English teas, I love Earl Grey the most.  I usually enjoy drinking it with milk, or use it for cooking (such as tea cookies, cakes and ice-cream).

Cat Power! -Pet Rescue-

It’s a “dog’s life” in Australia, with many people considering themselves ‘dog people’ and events and outings everywhere for dog lovers. Each day in the media happy dog stories take pride of place – we simply love our canine pals.

But I think 2009 should be the year of the cat.  Cats in Australia get a bum deal; often lumped in with ‘feral pests’ in legislation and maligned by their communities for simply being homeless orphans.  Cats really need an image makeover!  And that begins with thinking about the cats of Australia in the same way we think about dogs – great family pets and worthy of our protection!

Did you know in the UK cats are a favourite companion amongst young singles? That’s because cats thrive in apartments and are a great pet for people who work during the day.

I think many people know these websites below (click the photo) :  they make me realize how cute kittens are!

And cute photos…