Interesting places to visit (Kobe)

Hello guys, I'm just
This time I'm just sharing about the time I went Kobe. This was more of a gathering for me and my friends who are studying in the Kansai region. This trip was also made during the Golden Week since it's one of the few rare ocassion where everyone has a holiday at the same time.

Getting from Nara to Kobe was not really that hard but it took longer that expected. But situated in the middle of where all of our schools are, just the right spot for our gathering. All of us met up at JR Kobe Station and for a train station, it was huuuuge, enough to be a mall itself. Apparently it's called Umie and it's one of the main shopping complex around here. Needless to say, all of us took our time shopping there and gather back again in GODIVA

GODIVA, chocolate paradise

After that, we straight to probably what seems to be the must visit place in Kobe called Harborland. Just like any other harbour, you can see ferries around and lookout tower as well. Now that I think about it, that was probably the first ocean I've seen here in Japan.From here you can see the Kobe Port Tower, the icon of this place, right next to Kobe Maritime Museum. Didn't enter any of those two cus probably spent too much time at the mall.

 

You don't see many roads, nor car in Nara

 

Something you don't see everyday

Iconic watchtower

     After taking some pictures all around the all famous harbour, we took a trip to the much more packed street they called Kobe Nankanmachi AKA Kobe Chinatown. Well, technically I'm a Chinese but seeing my people's culture spread like butter even here, just makes me glad to be one (that feeling doesn't come often). And it is also here where we had our try on the famous Kobe beef eeeeeveryone has been talking about. The hype bout it makes it the wait in line more bearable. We had it in the form of burger since we just had our lunch there but that 1000 yen burger was worth the money. I'm not a big fan of beef myself but even I could tell that meat was definitely one of a kind.

rush hour?

even spiderman can't help it

Of course there were other delicacy that our senpai said were good such as pau (steamed buns) and whatnot but news came that a new cheese tart shop called Pablo just opened recently and as one of us ran heading there, the rest of us just follow suit. If GODIVA was the chocolate paradise, PABLO would be the cheesecake paradise, period. That was just good how the tarts was for me. Feeling the steamy cheese cream scorching my taste buds was just orgasmatic.

Next we took a break from eating, and took a few bus and train trips here and there looking for Mt. Rokko. Nothing extreme, just waited for a cable car at the foot of the mountain and after some smooth ride in about 10 minutes, there we were at the top of the Rokka mountain ranges. The view from above, just to put it short, is like a window to Kobe itself. (sorry as you've probably known, I'm a shitty photographer so can't really take a nice scenic view of it, will probably work on it in the future) But regardleass, the view from up there was phenomenal. Greenery surrounding the hills and up further you can see the city itself and also the ocean that stretches after that.

After that we just head back to the city and had our dinner there plus a few last shopping before we say our goodbyes to our friends whom we might not see again until summer break.

                              

Best place for ramen, Ichiran Ramen

 If I had to say something about Kobe, it's that unlike other areas i've been too, finding unusual stuff here might not be easy (Like the countless deer in Nara, or the bamboo forest in Kyoto) but you can bet that the simple things they have here, will blow you away. You can find beef burger all around the world but I doubt any of them holds a candle to Kobe's own beef. The scenery they have there, their food  etc have not dissapoint me so far.

Mid Autumn Festival

For those of you who do not know, the Mid Autumn Festival is just around the corner. From where I come from (Malaysia for those of you wondering...) they call it Lantern Festival. As the name implies it is normally held in the middle of autumn and this year, should be around 15 September. However, this year would be the first year I'd celebrate it overseas (Japan for those of you wondering..)

Full moon

It is this time of the month where people harvest their crops. This began as people merely worshiping the Mountain Gods after the harvest as sign of gratitude. However, there is a much more interesting tale that people believed to be the origin of this tradition.

Long ago, people believed that there were ten sun that rose above and cause disaster to the people. However a hero named Hou Yi, armed with his bow and arrow shot down nine of them, leaving one for sunlight to provide heat and light for the people. He was then presented with the elixir of immortality. However he decided not to consume it, choosing to stay by his wife Chang'e and left the elixir in her safekeeping. Knowing this, his apprentice, tried to steal the elixir. Yi's wife, trying to prevent this, consume the elixir herself and became immortal which caused her to fly all the way up. She chose moon as her new home, wanting to stay near to his lover. Hearing this, Hou Yi wa saddened and gave offerings in the form of fruits and cake to her since that day. The people who soon learned about this sympathized with Hou Yi chose to participate in the sacrifice to Chang.

This year would be the first time I spend this festive season away from home. However, like how the glass is always half full, this is the opportunity for me to finally play my role in introducing this tradition to foreigner (Japanese in case you're new here). And also, I have friends whom I can enjoy celebrating this annual festival with me (in case you  guys are reading) so no regrets here at all :)

A trip by the river

3 ways to NOT learn a new language

     

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela 

  

   Rio 2016 has made headlines all over the world for the past few weeks and after a splendid introduction of Tokyo 2020, people are already excited about it 4 years before its opening. The rise in the number of tourist during that year is something to look forward to, not to mention the increase in the number of the people who will begin attending Japanese class in preparation for that. Here are some head-start tips for you guys out there:-                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

some of them are rather good at it

  
1. Don't believe everything you hear                                                                                                                        By that I mean, don't expect yourself to improve on the language you are trying to learn just by listening to their "top tracks". Much like the well know meme, where anime otakus can memorize soundtracks of every anime they have watched but DON'T think for a second that they can strike a conversation with a Japanese just because of that. Song lyrics in normal conversation isn't as cool as it sounds. So as a reminder, stop lying to yourself and treat the songs as entertainment and not as an educational tool.                                                                                                                                                    
2. Drop the fancy word                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  One thing I've noticed is that, it's not uncommon to someone to trying improve his/her language by buying a book filled with idioms an proverbs.... and expect to use it in an exam or an interview. I'll be honest, just like some of them, I've used to carry the same habit when writing essays in exam. It only became clear to me when after friend of mine mimic my learning habit did I realize how ridiculous that sounds. I mean, yea sure you might impress a guy or two but please....out of respect for the language and everyone using it, "study your tools well before buying them". Like you don't just strike a simple "hello" to anyone and just spit a "every cloud has a silver lining" in the middle of the conversation. Don't get me wrong, of course I'm not blaming them for doing so. I understand, I've been there and done that but that's why I know how ridiculous that sounds, and it would be a sin not to point that out to them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
3. Literal translation spoils the fun                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     This is a no brainer but still people often made that mistake. What do I mean by that is :-  not everything in English (or any other language as far as anyone is concern) can be literally translate to Japanese on its own and vice versa. Sure you can search a dictionary to find the meaning of a Japanese word but know that, culture and social norm affects language more than people realise. There are terms in Japanese that no matter how, can never be translate correctly into other language simply because of social difference. For example :- people say otsukaresama desu to their colleague after a hard day of work which helps display gratitude. Now try to put that into English term...it's alright, I know you can't (or prove me wrong and comment your answers)                                                                                                                      
   

As for HOW to learn a language, I'm sure there are tons of posts with better content than I can offer for now. (For those of you wondering, I've taken DELF, TOEIC and JLPT up to now) I know it's not much (my qualifications) but I hope the contents can be of some use, good luck !!!

Interesting place to visit (Nara)

As some of you might know, I'm currently studying abroad in Japan and during my first few months there, of course I'd taken the golden opportunity to traveled to some place(just to share some). I'm currently studying in Nara prefecture and it would take about one hour by train to get to famous travel destinations such as Kyoto, Kobe etc...Of course for those who knows their map, getting to Tokyo is kinda a pain (even with shinkansen (bullet train) it would take 2-3 hours).

Probably the first spot I visited would be Nara itself. It's a good thing my Japanese teacher was willing to be our tour guide for the day. It was during the Golden Week when this happened. We gathered at Nara eki (train station) in the morning, around 9 am plus and meet up with our sensei over there.

First we took a trip to a temple (Btw, there are like a LOT of shrines and temples here) called Koufuku-ji. One of the main attraction would probably the pagoda (cone like building). Didn't expect to find one here though. Another trivia about it, is that the place is under the UNESCO World Heritage List. The details about the place such as history and architecture, I'll leave it to Mr. Google for those of you
who are interested in those sorts of details (sorry, I wasn't paying much attention during the tour). Entrance is not really cheap to be honest, at least not for me.

Keep in mind that Kofuku-ji Temple can be separated into the Eastern Golden Hall and the National Treasure Hall which is given entry upon buying respective tickets. Up to the point of the pagoda is free though. And of course you can choose to enter either the Eastern Golden Hall or the National Treasure Hall or both, each with their own ticket price. I was charged 800 yen in total for both places. Long story short, it was mostly ancient statues related to Buddhist and that sort. And of course photography is prohibited in the temple so, sorry for no pictures on that. But I'm guessing those of you who hold an interest in these sort of historical artifact should definitely put this into your bucket list (or another one I'm going to share later) Btw, be sure to drop Sarusawa pond as well to get a magnificent view of the temple and also a place to chill.

Next, we head to probably, the main attraction in Nara, Nara Park itself. Herd of deers inhabiting the area, it's truly a sight to behold you can't find anywhere else in Japan, or even the world. There are a few stalls selling senbei (rice crackers) to be fed to the deers for the price of 150 yen. You'll be surprised how many deers will coming dashing towards you the moment you hold this in front of them. And just like rumors said, they DO bow down to you in request of the rice crackers you might have on your hand

            

To be continued....(sorry guys for stopping here don't feel like writing everything in one post, strains my eyes but hope you enjoy my story up to this point)

Culture shock In Japan

I can't believe it took me almost a year to continue this blog (talk about motivation -_-) However, since it's a long summer holiday, I've decided to share this with you all....if you're still out there reading this. Just some stuff I went through these past few months

It'll probably be a drag to talk about all I've experienced up until now but so far now I'll talk in bits by bits starting from todays menu.

People often more than not, gave me some warning of the trouble I would have come to face throughout the first time I step on the land of the rising sun. Culture shock is just simply one of those things. Just to share a few..


1. One of the things that suprised me (and annoys me to an extent) is the rarity of a dustbin wherever I went. Still a suprise how they've managed to keep things clean & spotless there. On the other hand, my classroom which has 3 dustbins at the back (they are seperate based on the type of waste) turns out to be more dirty than most part without one. Not saying that there are always trash on the floor but you'll be suprise how the dustbin will overflow every few days after seeing how clean the world outside is..

A pidgey in the supermarket

2. This second one didn't come much of a shock but it's worth to post about it I guess. I'm not sure whether there are other countries that practised this culture but you'll be suprised by how polite the people working in counters were (supermarket, convenience store etc). For those of you've read my first blog, you should know why this had a huge impact on me. The people working there regardless of age, gender were like, on another level of politeness like giving small change when you buy a 100 yen with a 1000 yen note (i needed small change, don't judge -_-). They must've bow like at least 3 times for every purchase. There was this guy who, to my suprised didn't bow to me once but he heated my meal for free and even offered plastic spoons n forks. All is forgiven i guess hahaha

3. How can being in a relationship seem so simple to them I wonder. I mean, you'll be suprised by how many people will proudly talk about how they lost their virginity before 20 (the youngest I've heard of so far is 16) I mean, I've come from a rather open yet disciplined family myself (sry for blowing my own trumpet...got no other descriptions to fit in) and yea even before studying overseas, I've seen people around me slowly started dating but that's like at least 16 (well, they could have dated before and I wouldn't know to be fair) Guess that's what you'd call culture difference (came as a shock to me, no joke) But before you say anything, the stuff I mentioned doesn't really apply to ALL of them, just roughly guessing from the fews I've seen in these few months.

The view from my seat

Guess this is it for now, sorry couldn't create much content this time but you should hear more from me in these few months, since I really got to brush my English one way or another. Got plenty of stuff to talk about just don't know how to place them out hmmmm...

A journey up north

お久しぶりですね皆様。Its been a while since I wrote my last blog, well a lot has happened but finally I got some time off and this is definitely something worth to be shared to those reading this. 

where do I start...

Recently under certain circumstances, my fellow school mates if you would like to call it, got ourselves a trip to Penang, The Pearl of the Orient as a part of our motivation camp. Long story short, It was the best outstation trip I've had in quite some times. Good accommodation, good food (didn't have time to try most of them but the one I tasted was indeed good) and the best of all, good companies. 

皆といっしょうに、本当に楽しかった

Basically, the main highlights of the camp was the Penang Race where we are divided into teams of    6-7's and must complete a run all over Georgetown (well, actually it was only like a portion of the place) while completing task given by our lecturer through whatsapp. Those task includes taking picture with the local residents there, posing cute poses by the jetty and stopping by a famous stop for food.

All in all, it was a fun way to experience the beauty of Penang I've been hearing so much about and it definitely didn't not dissapoint me. Big shoutouts to my teammates if your're reading this (which I doubt you'll pass by this blog) for being such awesome companies.We hurdled through the rain and ran from places to places looking for the right clues but I'm glad I get to experience Penang with you guys. You guys made it another unforgettable memory I would very much like to keep if you may.

Feast your eyes people

Also, special thanks to the lecturers who made it all possible. Only thing missing was meeting a friend who probably wasn't here and perhaps when flying away for studies dy (all the best in your studies in the US, kay) To those who have been patiently reading this, consider this a suggestion from me for you guys to go and  visit Penang whenever you have a time off. Hope you guys take care and see you in my next blog ^-^

一番目のブログのこと (About my first blog)

やっと、今年の一番目のブログもうできた。。。そんな長い時間御待たせて本当にごめなさい。。

　　前の話すとおりに、今日のブログは、ほとんど日本語ばかりです。さって、どんな話しでしょうね。。そう言えば、さっき気が付きました。このブログを初めてからもう一年間たちました。懐かしい思い出だよね。友達のおかげで、このブログを書き始めた。。

　　その時、「何を書けば良いでしょうか」って聞いた。友達は「何でもいいよ」返事した。。「好きなことを書いてもいいよ」ってばかり言われました。次の日もう決まった。アルバイトのことを書くのはいいかな？その時、アルバイトを既にやめました。題を決めているのは一番難しいと思います。アルバイトについて色々な話すができる、「じゃ。。。どんな部分を話しましょうか」、自分で考えていた。
　　
　　一日中考えて、色々なことを思い出されたん。経験を少しず、良いのもあるし、嫌なのも思い出した。。。アルバイトをしていた時、客先さんに会った方が多かった。そんな経験が一番おもしろかったと思う。その時、色々な態度をとったり、見たりしたことができる。客先さんによって、態度をとったのはまったく違った。

　　　　「客先さんに対して、どんな態度をとる」それは、私の一番目のブログの題だった。よろしかったら、そのブログを英語で読んで見ようか？（コメントを忘れないね。。笑笑笑）今回のブログ、これまでです。皆様、私ブログを読んでありがとうございます。次のブログを楽しみにくださいね。(On my next blog, I'll try to use both Japanese and English language...so look forward to it ^-^)