Kenangan di Jepun

Aku amat berterima kasih kepada Allah SWT kerana impian aku untuk sampai ke Jepun tercapai. Kalau boleh, nak imbau kembali perasaan bila berada di sana dan cara aku....simpan resit. Actually nak buat macam scrap book tapi aku tahu 'cita-cita' itu terlalu tinggi...heh.... So end up just tampal resit-resit from shopping, pamphlet yang menarik or just write down whatever notes into a book. Truthfully bila tengok balik buku ni, memang ia berjaya mengembalikan kenangan dan perasaan aku ketika berada di sana. Alhamdulillah!

Japan Experience #Shopping

Known for among the most expensive city in the world, rasa macam tak mampu nak shopping kat sana. Tapi memang budget bawa duit lebih sebab ntah bila lagi akan sampai Jepun kan

100 Yen Shop
Kat sana memang target nak pergi 100 yen shop jek. Kalau kat sini macam kedai RM1.99 la or RM2. Daiso tu kira kedai 100 yen la, tapi dia pukul rata RM5.  Sana 100 yen tu betul-betul 100 yen, dah termasuk GST. Sini dah tak jadi RM5 dah lepas ada GST.

Kedai 100 yen ada banyak nama: Daiso, Seria, Can Do. Anak-anak pun suka pergi kedai ni sebab aku bagi peluang ikut suka depa la nak beli apa. Kira untung masa tu sebab exchange rate was roughly RM3 = 100 yen. It was even cheaper than Daiso in Malaysia! Sume menda yang aku berkira-kira nak beli kat Malaysia, aku main tutup mata jek kat sini. Souvenirs pun aku beli kat sini. Paling best aku beli a few senduk Hello Kitty for office mates, "for sale in Japan only' dia tulis kat senduk tu. Banyak jugak beli household items yang kiut-miut, purses, pouch and small bags. Mostly made in China, ada kat Malaysia jugak tapi sebab harge RM3 compared kat Malaysia (min RM5) aku beli jek. Rasa macam orang kaya kejap sebab main amik-amik jer. Haha!

Uniqlo
Jepun ialah origin country of Uniqlo. Tak sempat experience half price Saturday, katanya on Saturday sume barang 1/2 price. I like Uniqlo sebab no frills, bright colours, affordable.

Factory Outlet
Tak terpikir pun nak pergi factory outlet tapi husband offer. Oh! Kalo orang dah offer takkan cakap tak nak kannnn. Pergi Matsui Makuhari outlet jek. Outlet ni according to my husband's friend biasa jek. Depa  pergi yang jauh-jauh sikit yang katanya lagi best. Tapi kami kan berjalan dengan anak so yang dekat-dekat pun OK jek. Bukan nak shopping sangat pun. Bila sampai, aim kali ni nak beli handbag Kate Spade tapi takda yang berkenan kat hati sebab banyak design yang kotak-kotak. Ada minat quilted design Kate Spade tapi dah lama sangat design tu.

Pastu masuk pulak Coach. Silap la masuk sini sebab asalnya tak nak beli bag Coach lagi tapi end up terbeli dua! Sekali sekala, apa salahnya! (saja nak sedapkan hati!) Haha! Harga lebih kurang macam beli online sebab Coach is US origin. Kalau nak murah lagi, kena gi US la.

Walaupun tak aim nak beli kasut tapi masuk jugaklah Hush Puppies. Rugi tak beli sebab design dia macam cantik-cantik jek. Oh ya! Kalau nak beli kasut bawak la stokin. Aku tengok Japanese nak beli kasut, dioghang pakai stokin dulu before try. Baguskan... maybe tak nak kasut tu berbau kaki kot. How thoughtful, right!....

Lenkali nak survey kedai-kedai macam Watson/Guardian pulak kat sana. Ada jual SK II tu. Boleh beli spirulina jugak. Katanya murah...

Hopefully boleh sampai Jepun lagi...Aminnnnn

Japan Experience #Fire Museum

To visit Fire Museum was on our checklist sebab trip to Japan is about the kids. Since Lutfi suka sangat bomba, Fire Museum Tokyo is a definite must! Banyak good reviews about the museum and it is also free!

The day before kami pergi sendiri (without abah) beli groceries kat Ito Yokado, Kiba. Hari ni kami nak pergi Fire Museum kat Yotsuya 3-chome naik underground. Kali ni kami jalan kaki kat Ginza sebab kena naik station dari situ.

Seronok pulak bila mengimbas kenangan meredah Tokyo dengan anak-anak. Keluar stesen Yotsuya 3-chome dah nampak Fire Museum tu. Senangggg....

Try baju bomba

Ni ada drama. Best jugak

Dress up as fire fighters

Bawak kereta bomba

Miniatures bomba zaman dulu-dulu

Nak naik helicopter

Helicopter kat tingkat 5

Kasyif trying out...

Some toys

Recommended !

Japan Experience #Cooking

Memang idea asal nak memasak kat Jepun. Nak rasa pergi pasar or supermarket dia, nak rasa camna memasak kat sana, sama ke tidak dengan kat sini.

Alhamdulillah, ada AirBnB. Kami dapat apartment yang sangat selesa kat Tokyo. Macam brand new and the landlord is very nice. So far all Japanese I've met are very nice to people.

1st day jejak kaki kat apartment tu, sukanya tengok dapur dia yang cute tu. Sink besar, fitted cabinet with cute hood and cooker. complete with cooking utensils and new cookery. Fridge and microwave pun ada siap dengan complimentary fresh strawberries.

Complimentary strawberry from the landlord. Arigato! Oishi desu!

Cute and clean

Jokmokk set.
That's the 'living room cum bedroom.

Then we plan to shop for groceries the next day and googled to find a supermarket. We had to take the subway, it's OK. We're here for an adventure, right kids.... Hubby pesan elok-elok, gave all the relevant information to ensure we were going to be alright on our own.

Destination was Ito Yokado in Kiba. Alhamdulillah, bebudak suka. Walaupun mula-mula merungut sebab tak biasa jalan jauh (agaknya ada hikmah Allah pertemukan kami dengan Langkah Ceria tahun lepas) tapi weather masa tu sejuk-sejuk so merungutnya sekejap jek. Kalau anak-anak penat, kami berenti rehat sekejap.

Shopping complex ni lebih kurang macam Jusco Aeon kot (ya lah, Jusco tu Jepun kan). Shopping fresh produce memang best. All were fresh, cantik-cantik, nicely packed. Belilah sayur, telur, udang, salmon and other stuff. Sempat beli buku Lutfi jugak.

Fun trolley if you bring kids

Our groceries

Nasi goreng cina with crabstick

Masuk kandang kambing kenala mengembek kan. Sampah memang kena sort out. Tin, perishable, Pastu kena bawak turun letak kat spot kat tiang lampu seberang jalan tempat dioghang pick up sampah. Sejenis hari Isnin, sejenis lagi hari Khamis. Tak ingat jenis apa.

Jepun pun ada ikan celup tepung cam Terengganu kot!

Harga before and after GST

Salmon masak kari

Asparagus with prawns

Preparing the ingredients

Masak nasi atas dapur. Tera tak? Haha

Expiry date tampal kat SETIAP telur ok.

Nasi goreng ikan bilis (bawak dari Msia)

Suka tengok family dok makan sama-sama...

Seronok rasanya bila mengimbau kembali kenangan Jepun. Kalau ada rezeki, nak pergi lagi....

Melunaskan hutang

Ya Allah! Berilah aku jalan untuk melunaskan hutangku dengan kadar segera Ya Allah! Murahkan rezekiku supaya jumlah hutang ku dikurangkan dan berkurang Ya Allah! Sesungguhnya aku ingin menjadi insan yang diberkati oleh Mu Ya Allah!
Amin........

Nak amalkan wirid ini 

Observation #2 People

My first interaction with a Japanese during my trip was the owner of the apartment that I rented, Meg. Then a few that I asked directions for, cashiers and waiters/waitresses at Ippin restaurant and Tendon Tenya. The rest are my observations in the subways and places I went. So this observations are based on my experience and may not reflect the general population.

People: Meg

1. Helpful. Meg was really serious being a great host complete with brochures, portable WiFi, suggestions etc.
2. Clean and neat. Meg prepared all the cleaning tools for each of the space in the apartment I thought it was a hint that I must keep her apartment tidy! But I guess she thought guests value cleanliness so she prepared the tools beforehand in case her guests might need them. Oh yeah she's neat! On the day we arrived, she arranged our shoes before leaving the apartment!
3. Cute

People: General

1. Mobile phones have replaced books for passing the time in subways
2. Indifferent when you are with kids. I mean, you don't feel strange when travelling in subways as a foreigner with kids in subways. No one look at us like strangers.
3. They always give ways to others while walking they hardly bumped into each other except us!
4. Always helpful when ask for directions.
5. Provide trays to put your money when paying
6. They wear masks. Whys here
7. Couples/families spend time and lunch at the zoo with bentos. Love!
8. On average, hardly seen anyone overweight so I guess because the clothes fit, everyone seems well dressed.
9. The handbags they carry are well made. Be it well known brand or not, the bags seem to fit the purpose of the carrier. Work bags, leisure bag. Simple, sophisticated, cute, everything except crazy! Love!
10. Common colours are black and brown and everyone/everything seem uniformed with common colours and common height and size.
11. Will only start walking when pedestrian light turns green although saw a few who didn't
12. The bowing is still there when you praise them

Observation #1: Toilets

There are lots of things can be said interesting, amazing and different about Japan. Generally, on high level note, most of them are similar to list here. I'll write my observation according to topics and this observation is based on my comparison with UK and Malaysia.

Toilets

1. The state-of-the-art toilet
2. The cleanliness of the toilets
3. The similarity of squat toilet with Malaysia (although different in shape). Maybe because we are Asian!
4. There are seats for little ones in the toilet while waiting for mum 'doing her business'
5. No one misuse toilet for the handicapped/parent with kids

Save for LV bag

This is how I felt after my trip to Japan, about getting an LV bag for myself.

Looking around in the subway, Japanese people seemed very properly dressed. Common colours were black and brown, probably because of the coats and they were going to work. Most of the ladies carried branded handbags, or at least interesting, quality unknown brand handbags. I found an article that agrees with my observation, point #7 and #8 http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/08/24/the-top-9-things-that-surprise-foreigners-the-most-about-japan/

However, there was a feeling of 'of course they deserve to indulge' in me when I was comparing to my own desire to own branded bags. Maybe because to my eyes, branded goods seem to fit perfectly with their well manicured dressing. They deserve good stuff because they take care of themselves. As written here Japanese aesthetics , Japanese appreciate taste and beauty and it has be the norm or their habit long time ago.

Worth of an LV to me?
Well, my point is I need to ask myself why do I need to save for a LV bag? Why not any other bag which may cost lower or higher? It came to my senses that if I need to save for a bag, I must not be able to afford it under normal spending. What is the worth of an LV bag to me? Why LV? I've been asking the questions before this but ended up writing it as one of my Wish List.

The observation from the Japanese has finally bud some sense in me which I finally accept. I want an LV just because of the name. Because it is still a symbol of status in Malaysia. If you own an LV, you have lots of money. But an LV in Japan is 'nothing' as in anyone can own an LV. I felt as if Japanese own an LV because of it's quality, not because of the status it symbolizes, which is not the same feeling I get in Malaysia.

I have nothing against LV, I have nothing against people owning LV. I have just shifted my indulgence in something else. I will cross LV bag from my wishlist but will never know I might put it up there again.... Once I decided to own an LV because of its quality......

Post TOKYO

Alhamdulillah, I'm back from Tokyo. Didn't get to write during the trip although laptop and internet was accessible. All I can say at the moment is my gratitude towards Allah SWT for granting my wish. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah......Subhanallah, Maha Suci Allah.....

I felt so fortunate I dropped tears this morning reminiscing the time we had together in Tokyo. I'm impressed with Japanese attitude that I've started looking and reading on what have make them the way they are.

I got to see most of what I wished to see and did most of what I wished to do.

I've managed to stride Tokyo with 4 kids. My host was very kind and our apartment was 'kawaii'..... Love! Love! Love!

My children seemed to enjoy Tokyo very much despite there is no swimming pool. Although they firstly complained when trying to get used to a lot of walking, they managed to blend in the fast paced Tokyo in the end.

I will definitely write a lot about Japan.....

Lastly, I relate much with this article Things that surprise foreign women in Japan

Ready...Set.....

It's already 5.50 pm. I've packed some dry ingredients because I plan to cook simple dishes such as fried rice, fried pasta, fried chicken and chicken curry. Also plan to cook fresh salmon and buy ingredients such as eggs, milk and bread at their convenient store (apparently named Lawson). My helper also made for me 'sambal tempe', good to have with rice or just snack on it. I'm determined to cook and use up all because I don't want to bring any of these back to Malaysia.

Done with packing and we'll be bringing 3 luggage in total. Decided to ditch the big suitcase and bringing only 24 cm luggage x 2 + a cabin size bag. All luggage will be checked in and I asked the kids to bring their own bags to put whatever they want to bring.... including Lutfi.

Nervous? Yeah... My wish is about to come true. Have been wanting to see Japan since I learned Japanese language during my secondary school.

Can I do it? Can I manage the kids in Tokyo?

7 hour flight
This is the first time the kids are on a long haul flight (7 hours). I've been looking up for tips from the internet. I'm also a bit worried because Lutfi and Kasyif are not in their best of health (they are having coughs). Luckily it's a night flight, so I hope they can sleep throughout the journey.

My walking shoes
Hmm...decided to keep the Scholl and used plasters to cushion my blisters. Actually I bought a heel protector which is to be placed at the back inside the shoes but it didn't serve the purpose that I expected.

Reflect
I'm taking a deep breath to reflect what I am expecting from this trip.....

This is my time for the kids. Follow their pace, not mine. I won't have the same moment twice. Enjoy the trip and create the greatest memories for the kids to remember.

I hope everything will be ok, In Sha Allah.

Walking shoes for Tokyo

Currently I don't have suitable walking shoes for my trip to Japan.

Potential shoes but not suitable
The problem with my pink Adidas sports shoes is it doesn't go with my outfit. My neutral brown Bonita flats which I find very comfortable although after hours of walking, may not withstand Tokyo's cold and rainy weather. Thus I decided to splurge on a new walking shoes because it would be extremely important for my trip in Tokyo.

Without doing any research (i.e googling the internet), 2 brands came to mind. It is either Hush Puppies or Scholl.

Hush Puppies
I had a pair of Hush Puppies sandal for my Europe trip back when I was at the university. I didn't remember complaining so the sandal must be very comfortable. Went to Alamanda (although Parkson was on sale, no suitable style that I like) and Jusco Sri Kembangan (no sale, no shoes). Couldn't find anything nice at IOI City Mall too.

Scholl
People keep saying Scholl is so comfortable. I surveyed at Jusco Sri Kembangan and didn't see anything that I like. Yesterday, I went to IOI City Mall and the Scholl store there offered wider choices.
Since I decided to splurge, I went on buying a pair under 'Memory Cushion' category. Actually I was torn between this pair and a 'Massage' khaki shoes. I decided to buy the former because I was told by the shop assistant that our feet won't get tired after hours of walking in it because it's light.
Okay, since I'm paying RM208 for the shoes (the most expensive shoes I've ever bought to date) I expect the shoes to be immediately comfortable on my feet. I decided to wore the new pair straight away!

Scholl: What Happened Next
So I was hunting for the next item in the IOI City Mall, a jumper for my son. The shoes started to feel tight after about 30 min. I felt tight at the front as well as the back of my heels. After an hour, I successfully gained blisters!

I went back to the store and decided to change to the 'Massage' khaki pair because it did feel softer when I previously tried it on. 'Massage' technology features massaging sole to improve blood circulation (sounds very innovative, isn't it) only that it's heavier than the 'Memory Cushion'.

Today, I tried to wear the new pair with socks on to the office. It did feel a bit tight but I couldn't really comment on the comfort factor because of the blisters. It actually felt comfortable without socks on yesterday but I need to wear socks in Tokyo!

I'm currently contemplating whether to continue using or exchange it for something else. Maybe something for my mum. Have I made a wrong decision?


My verdict
Most of the time, 'comfortable shoes' is what I've heard about Scholl so am I missing something here?  Apparently Scholl needs time to be comfortable because it is correcting our feet and it will expand after a while. Thus I may have to give some time to Scholl before I can give a verdict.

We'll see.....

3 days before travelling_Itinerary and all

14 days checklist
Has completed most of the 14 days checklist:

Itinerary
Our planned itinerary is as follows.

Deciding what and when

1. For Tokyo, I need to check with certain attractions as some are closed on Monday thus I choose to visit the Fire Museum on Tuesday.
2. You might get the chance to visit certain attractions such as museums, parks or zoos for free when they celebrate their anniversaries. Lucky us, Ueno Zoo Park celebrates its anniversary on 20 March, thus the plan to go there on Friday (saving of RM20)
3. Miraikan, The Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation give kids free admission on Saturday, so take advantage of that! (saving of RM68)
4. For Hakone and Disneyland, my decision will be based on the weather and crowd.

Other options

• Hakone_depending on the weather to make it worth a visit
• Skytree
• Mitsui Outlet Park in Makuhari
• parks & temples
• sightseeing tour bus

Disneyland and its crowd

Meg, the host of our accommodation doesn't recommend to go to Disneyland at the moment as it will be packed! There's a useful crowd calendar that you can check out http://tdrnavi.jp/forecast/disneyland?lang=en.

Meg also commented on our itinerary and suggested other places we might want to consider....

Though, I'm not sure when we will get the chance to go to Disneyland again and next time will be different because this moment won't be the same as when the kids are grown up.

Weather

Factors that may affect this itinerary is Tokyo's weather. I refer to AccuWeather.

Although it shows occasional rain during our stay there, today's forecast looks far better than 2 weeks ago. Previously all were grey clouds and no sign of the orange sun....

I need to bear in mind too, that I need to keep my options open since this is my first time traveling with kids to a cold place. My journey obviously will be dictated by their mood and cooperation!

Passport cover

My daughters were looking at passport covers sold right in front of the Immigration Office in Jalan Reko, Kajang. At first, I thought it would be a waste, costing RM10 for plastic covers and RM20 for a thicker material. Normal accepted passport covers sold by the Immigration Office is RM3.

But then it struck me 'What a good idea to differentiate the bunch of passports we have to hold!' and bought them.

Apart from having more 'fun' appeal to the passports, I think it's useful to differentiate whenever the group leader i.e. my husband need to show our passports for check-in, buying tickets, immigration clearance etc (he holds all of our passports to avoid misplace).

We have different passport covers each reflecting the personalities of my children... Maybe more of reflecting their age. Can you guess whose which?

Renew passport at Jalan Reko, Kajang on Sunday

Didn't get to renew our passports last week. We only have a week left before we fly. We thought the Immigration Office at Putrajaya open on weekends so decided to renew ours on Sunday. Luckily, I check the official website and they actually don't! They have ceased weekend operation but other offices in UTC centres still operate on weekends as normal. As if god sent, the Immigration Office in Kajang still open on weekends so we aimed to get things done there.

You know the drill if you go to all these public service centres... on weekends. As AirAsia tagline says 'Now Everyone Can Fly', more people travel overseas these days and so queue at immigration offices may be exceptionally longer. Also weekend is the only time working people could allocate to settle their errands including applying or renewing their passports.

Immigration Office, Jalan Reko Kajang
Long queue up to 200m is a normal sight at the Immigration Office at Jalan Reko, Kajang (NO! I'm exaggerating on the 200m! Hoho). You have to be there maybe half a hour before the office opens if you want to be the first 100.

The office opens at 8.00 am. Someone came at 7.55 am and her number was 145. I came at 8.10 am and received my number at 9.40 am. I was number 160.  I think they only issue max up to number 200 because they close at 1.00 pm.

The flow
1. Before getting your number, show your IC (birth certs for kids) coupled with passports in order. It's logical thing to do to ease the officer's job checking whether you have complete documentation before proceeding.
2. The office also reminds you to check you kids' height right after that. This is a major change, saves tons of minutes when the measuring wall is neatly located near the number counter.
3. The most impressive change: no need to fill up application forms! Another logical improvement when you leverage on technology. Everything is electronic based. No paper, all softcopies and databases. Totally a relief of burden to the applicants. So just wait for your turn to get your photograph taken.
4. No. 160 got called just before 12, about 11.40 am. About 2 hours after we took our number. Remember, no need to bring recent passport size photos because they will take your picture with their in-house cameras. Cost savings for you there!
5. Then you wait for payment. It's not long after no. 4
6. Then wait to collect your passport. Also not long after no. 5

So roughly, hours spent to

1. get our number = 1.5 hours
2. get to our turn for application process/ photograph from no. 1 = 2 hours
3. pay and collect our new passport after no.2 = 30 minutes

Take note that we came 10 min after the office opened so we had 159 applications before us. If you come earlier, the time taken should be shorter than 4 hours.

Distraction for the kids
I think I prefer Kajang to the big Putrajaya office because it's in a complex so it's easy to buy food if your kids are hungry. Furthermore, it's nearer to my house which is only 8 min drive. I was preparing for a nightmare because I was managing the kids alone. Somehow it was manageable and was not a problem at all.

Efficient service
Immigration Office has improved tremendously from the last time I renewed my passport in 2013 at Perlis office. No forms to fill, no need to bring passport sized photos and the instruction and process flow is clearer. The staff also are more courteous and pleasant. They have leveraged on technology to improve at-the-counter services and 4 hours waiting was well, seems acceptable.

All in all, I'm relieved I've renewed the passports and despite the 4 hour process, it was a good experience. Everything seems..... in place.

Useful blogs on Tokyo that I refer to

I've read a lot from people experiences in their blogs and sites when doing background reading for my Tokyo trip. There are a lot of information out there and I find below blogs and sites are particularly useful for my situation:

• Reinforce my belief why I want to go to Tokyo with the kids My Little Nomads
• Ideas to keep kids occupied when traveling Best Living Japan
• Lists of kid friendly places and insights from someone living in Tokyo in English Tokyo Strollers
• Where to find something cheap when you on a tight budget but still want to shop in expensive Tokyo Cheapo Japan
• List of food you can buy that is halal in Japan with pictures Cara murah melancong ke luar negara
• Alternative to Suica or Passmo Japan Travel Info

My Little Nomads

I find this particular post from My Little Nomads relates so much to how I feel towards traveling with kids. Very well said. Go on, read it! Go and click the link.




In contrast to how I 'expressed' my feelings in the opening paragraph with my limited vocab here,  (I wrote about Krabi, our first overseas trip as a family).


I did get 'they won't even remember because they are small' remarks from my hubby, referring to our boys when I said I want to bring the kids to Tokyo. I countered back with something about kids are like sponges. They absorb.
One of the comments posted to the My Little Nomads post has another point that I can use...

It shape kid's personality from what they see, smell, experience....

I'm gonna follow the blog. The 1st blog that I tag on my blog.