Is there any service such as this?

A couple of days ago, I made a purchase through Yahoo! auction.

The payment was made through internet bank transfer but at the end of the process something was wrong. It got stuck.

A few hours later, my husband called me telling that the bank called him informing that the transfer was unsuccessful, and that the bank will call me soon. A few minutes later the bank called and the staff apologized for the inconvenience. He said when the system is corrected he will contact me so that I can redo the payment process.

A few hours later the door bell rang. The person introduced himself as a bank staff and informed me that the central bank asked him to come and renew my husband's passbook. I felt suspicious because the bank did not contact me or my husband beforehand. I politely refused.

The next day, the bank (call center) called me again telling that the staff will come very soon to collect the passbook. I asked him to postpone the time to later in the afternoon. Quickly I called the bank on to verify whether they offer such service as this. The phone was passed to the staff I talked yesterday on Yahoo payment transaction. He explained that he was the one who asked Furukawa branch to come and renew the passbook as a service to compensate on the payment failure and he apologized for the miscommunication. They do not do such service usually but this time is special.Only this time that I trusted him.

In the afternoon, the staff came collected the passbook and 2 hours later he returned with a new passbook.

To be honest, I am thankful that the passbook is renewed but such service really, rea~lly made me anxious...

Obon Yasumi: Kesennuma

In the mid of obon yasumi week, we went to Kesennuma, in northern Miyagi prefecture, about 60km from Furukawa (our house).

Kesennuma is a port city and it is most famous for its shark's fin. I suppose it is the largest sharks fin producer in the country. The road to Kesennuma was like going through a jungle and in between mountains (lucky ada navigator). But the scenery was very interesting and classic because here and there I could see big 2 to 3 storey traditional houses - as if some great samurai had resided there.

Too bad the weather was not so good. It was rainy and a foggy when we stopped at a beach before reaching Kesennuma. The first beach for the kids, Nani had a lot of fun while Shakir was a little bit hesitated. The beach was clean enough to see fish swimming around.

At the other side of the beach I could see people fishing.

Then was the Kesennuma, the first thing we did was to isi our perut yang dah berbunyi. Yes, we had sharkfin for lunch.

After lunch, we visited Rias museum. It was all about sharks. Shakir was so afraid he cried so loud. Papa had to comfort him outside. 

Next was the -20C aqua museum. It was a small museum inside a cold room, exhibiting fish swimming in ice blocks...heheh

The market sold fresh seafood at reasonable prices. We bought some fish and cuttlefish home. Had a cup of Anchor coffee, a local Starbucks-like coffee shop memang best..especially dalam sejuk2 hujan tu.

Heading home, we opted for the road along the coastline this time and it was a good decision. The scenery of the beaches before sunset was beautiful. Finally reached Furukawa at about 8.30pm...

What a long day..

Obon Yasumi: Himawari no Oka

On the third day of the Obon Yasumi,we went to Himawari no Oka (the Sunflower Hills). It is located at Sanbongi, only about 10 minutes drive from our house. There are about 420,000 sunflowers planted at this area, which is opened for public from end of July to end of August. Later the sunflowers are cultivated for the seed to make oil, pastries and other related products.

The sunflowers are taller than a normal person (at least me!). There was also a mini choo-choo train track within the area so you can take a ride through the jungle of sunflowers.

The day was hot so after walking around the area, we had some sunflower ice-cream (yummy!). Then we left for Higashi Naruko for a picnic by the river.

Naruko area is famous for its "onsen" or hotspring but I just prefer Higashi Naruko for its beautiful surrounding and also because I hate the road up to Naruko onsen.

We had rendang ayam, ketupat and mee goreng for picnic before playing at the river. The water is crystal clear you can see small fish swimming around. On the way home, we stopped at a A-ra Michinoku Road side Station. It is like an R&R area located along the prefectural or national road. The vegetables sold by the local farmers were really cheap! Its like 10 big tomatoes for only 120yen! A plate of mini crabs was also very nice.

Anyway, at last it was my son who conquered the day because he has had 3 ice-creams today..

Obon Yasumi: Zao and Yamagata

Last week was a long holiday in Japan, the Obon holidays.

It was the time when Japanese return to their kampungs to pay a visit to their ancestors' graves or take the opportunity to travel overseas.Somewhat like Hari Raya la.

Since my husband got a 10 days off, we went to a few places nearby. A Japanese family friend suggested Zao and Yamagata. Zao is an active volcano and Yamagata is a prefecture west of Miyagi, facing the Japan Sea.

So on the 1st day of the holidays we went there with a Malaysian trainee and the Japanese friend, Sato-san. The road up to Zao was like cacing, as seen on the navigator. On the way, we stopped at a stall for a break. The weather was foggy but getting clearer as we reached the top.Zao was amazing, the color of the "lake" is green, not blue like Mt. Aso.

Then we drove down to Yamagata..again jalannya macam cacing. Pening lalat dibuatnya. At Yamagata we only did 1 thing...we bought "suika" --tembikai. It was a shop run by the local farmer and they served some for tasting...Mak oii...manisnyeeee....and the tembikai was so big and solid (isinya tak lembik). Ada orang tu sampai terbeliak mata bila makan tembikai yang manis tu..hehe

And there I was buying 2 for the family and another 2 for my friends in Fukuoka. And guess how many Sato-san bought? 10 !! Nasib baik muat kereta Wish tu...

Amazing Hokkaido

Summer is the best time to visit Hokkaido...especially for those who are "allergic" to coldness like me. This was our family trip last month, from 18~21 July.First time for me and the kids, as my husband is a Hokkaido Univ. graduate.

After reaching Shin-Chitose Airport, we rent ed a Toyota Vitz car from Toyota rent-a-car and drove about 2 hours up north to Asahikawa.

Extensive meadows and farms, decorated with beautiful flowers along the way..it was a breathtaking view.

The next day we visited Asahiyama Zoo, the most popular zoo located northenmost in Japan. Why is it so popular?

Since 2004 the zoo bears a new concept; it is the animals that watch you, not you watching the animal. As in the pic, the cages/aquarium are designed in a way that the animals can have as different and natural as possible view of the srrounding. You can stand side by side to a leopard or below it and watch penguins fly. This way it allows the animals to relax even in the limited environment.

The zoo has many repeaters, most are adults with a total of 3 million visitors peryear. And it was I yang beriya-iya nak pergi zoo ni, not the children...heheh

Then, we drove down heading for Furano, which is famous for its summer lavenders. We stopped at a few places like Biei on the way, quenching thirst with lavender ice-cream and visit smaller flower farms. The pictures below were taken at Farm Tomita, Naka Furano.

We reached Furano at about 4pm. Farm Tomita, is a must-see if you want to enjoy the beautiful lavenders and the local products like musk melon and sweet corn.

Man.. the corn is super sweet I have never tasted one before.The fresh corn is picked early in the morning and boiled for a short time to maintain its sweetness. Furano is also famous for its white corn. We'll talk about it later.

We then head for Sapporo to meet a Malaysian student. Malam tu kami lepak kat rumah dia..kira sewalah jugak.At least at a much better rate than hotel. Very nice orang Muar.

The next day was a trip to Hokkaido Univ., my husband's alma mater. Cantiknya.. tak macam Kyushu Univ (old campus). Many people come over just to rest by the pond,main2 dengan itik or jog around.

Sapporo city is bigger than I thought. Sapporo ekimae is spacious dan gah. Since we had to return the car later in the evening, kami x ke mana, but to Odori Koen, near Sapporo tower and then pergi Ichiba (wet market) untuk beli & makan ketam. 

Ketamnya memang la besar. So big that my daughter did not dare getting any near to them.We bought 3, two for our Japanese friends and one for us. Mahal betul, about 20000yen and that's nearly RM600! Takpelah sekali sekala.

The trip to Hokkaido though short, was very nice. And if you want to get around in Hokkaido, renting a car would be the correct choice.

Do you eat kulit tembikai?

This is what I saw on TV here a few weeks ago.

There was this Japanese lady who suggested kulit tembikai as a dish.

In the program, she made pickles from it.

Then there was I trying to make something out from the kulit tembikai.

When I cut the outer layer (the green one), the cutting sensation is like cutting a petola.

So I thought, maybe I can try cooking "tumis air kulit tembikai" for dinner.

I did it, and the family ate it without knowing what it was.

They thought it was somekind of a vege (like petola) and said the taste was good.

Now that I have a new recipe that can reduce the garbage. Yatta!!

Maklumlah kat sini nak buang sampah kena bayar...

Everything is going up here too

Read in Malaysian newspaper about the fuel price hike.

Increased 78sen from RM1.92 per liter. That's a lot.

But it did not really shocked me.

In Japan we are experiencing fuel price increase at more than a couple of times this year only.

Here there is no such thing as subsidy for petrol, so it is already expensive, but fluctuates by world market price.

Not only fuel, food, dairy products, oil, tissue papers and so many other things are getting more expensive..

What I do to face this problem is by learning from the Japanese housewives.

Almost everybody does it here but it is not our culture in Malaysia.

THE HOUSEKEEPING BOOK..

This is a half diary half housekeeping book I bought from 100yen shop for a starter.

Ganbare!!