-Shop cute Japanese products and cool products from Japan. This cute blog is about Japanese kawaii, kawaii Japan, kawaii fashion, Japanese pop culture and more. It's a kawaii blog from Japan, Japan blog in English by a Japanese girl.

Since I posted this article the other day, I received many comments and I’ve been thinking about upside of living in Japan. As many people mentioned, the grass is always greener on the other side. Every country has some kind of problem, even if it’s free from devastating earthquakes that Japan often suffer from. That’s so true. It’s possible that I don’t realize what I already have, when I keep living in the same place for years. Thus I try to see what Japan has offered to me because that for sure will be something I will miss when I leave Japan.

I’ll list up things I like about living in Japan.

1: Onsen & everyday bathing in a Japanese styled bath
Bathing in Japanese style is so relaxing. Your body will be totally refreshed, warmed, relaxed and get healthier. Bathing is not just for keeping your body clean. I believe it’s good for your brain as well, because it’s always at the bathroom when I get a good idea! I believe my brain turns alpha status thanks to so much of relaxation.

2: Washlet toilet (high-tech toilet)
Every time I travel abroad, I miss Japanese high-tech toilet that installs warm seat and electric bidet/shower. I hear some Hollywood celebs who stayed in Japan got obsessed with it and imported it to install in their toilet back home. Most of households in Japan have this type of toilet, and it’s not considered so luxurious here.

3: Everything is punctual
Public transportation, people in charge of business, and friends to meet up…they are always on time. There’s no stress to wait and screw up the rest of the schedule. Someone from Ukraine who moved to Japan told me once that he chose to live in Japan because it’s less stressful. He can schedule 4 or 5 meetings a day, because everyone appears on time and every public transportation comes on time. He said things wouldn’t go like this in Europe. I see.

4: Good quality of service
Good quality of service is a Japanese standard. Company employees are educated very strictly to treat their customers as if they were God. That’s why working in Japan, provinding service for Japanese people is quite stressful. However, at a customer’s side, I think Japan is a heaven. I hear how people who traveled in Japan got surprised at our high quality of service. I will realize how wonderful it is only when I experience unsatisfactory kind of service I get somewhere else. I guess I’ve stayed in Japan too long to realize wonderful things. They have become too natural, everyday thing, nothing special, and Japanese standard, but look around the world if you can have the same quality of service? I’m telling to myself.

5: Good quality of products
Some study-abroad agency shares a list of things recommended to bring from Japan to Australia. Followings are the examples.

-sanitary items (for women) made in Japan
-band for hair (made in Japan)
-umbrella (made in Japan)
-tooth brush (made in Japan)
-pensil, eraser, notebook (made in Japan)
-Japanese electrical appliances such as electronic dictionary, camera and PC
-Japanese cosmetic products
-pocket tissues (it’s free in Japan)
-bathing suits
-tights and stocking (made in Japan)
and etc…

These items are in better quality and more reasonable when purchased in Japan than in Australia, according to the agency. (***note: My purpose here is not to speak ill of Australian products, please don’t misunderstand.) Some items are listed because of size difference. For example, tooth brush in Aussie size must be too big for us, Japanese. I will never realize how good these products are and how reasonablly they are supplied in Japan until I leave Japan and compare the counterparts offered in other part of the world.

6: Universal health insurance for everyone
Unlike U.S and other countries, Japan offers public health insurance for every citizen who pays some monthly money. Thanks to this system, whether it’s a public or privarte hospital, big or small scaled, we can get treatments and prescription drug at 30% of total expenses, with 70% covered by the insurance. This also applies to dental therapy. This is the great system and is so beneficial to everyone that none of us has to refrain from seeing doctors due to worries of money.

7: Japanese as a mother language
No matter how much I learn English, it’s still a foreign language to me.

8: Japanese books
I love reading books, but think about it that I have to read them all in English? I will take double or triple as much time as I read them in Japanese. First of all, I will definitely miss Japanese public library from which I can borrow as many as 14 books to read in 2 weeks. Living outside Japan and craving for Japanese books simply means to buy them all via Amazon and get them shipped with a fee. Oh but digital books may be useful in this case.

9: Kawaii
I still believe there are kawaii goods in any countries but it seems that I’m wrong, according to the readers of TKE blog. Then I will definitely miss something kawaii once I leave Japan. Just in case you are not sure for the term “kawaii”, it doesn’t simply mean cute characters are on. Some people still seem to misunderstand that kawaii is cartoons for small children but it’s not. Kawaii can be a good design that make girls look prettier, when garment is described as kawaii, for example.

10: Japanese foods, especially Japanese rice and soy sauce
Even though I’m not much in love with certain Japanese foods such as tofu, miso soup, oden, dried fish, and etc., being completely free from them is another story. I especially love Japanese rice and dishes seasoned with soy sauce. Is soy sauce popular everywhere now?

I think you may find out more if you remember your WOW to Japan. Having lived in this country for over 35 years, I’m not sensitive enough to realize great things I can experience in Japan. In that respect, I’m sure you can tell me better than I realize them by myself. lol

1 year has been passing since the 3.11 The Great Tohoku Earthquake…
None of us, the Japanese can forget about this date. It was a triple disaster from earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima radiation crisis. What happened to Japan still remains a shock among people and it’s said we need several more years to recover from the damage that tsunami and radioactive contamination left. Some mothers with small children evacuated from Tohoku (affected areas) to Hokkaido or Kyushu area. Although my husband and I don’t have a small kid, we are also thinking of moving out of Japan if the circumstances allow.

What’s scary now is that people start to talk about the high chances of M8 (magnitude) class earthquake that could hit Tokyo and also an eruption of Mt. Fuji. But in fact, we can never be free from earthquake (and tsunami) no matter where we live in Japan. I’ve been getting tired of being under the risk of devastating earthquake and radiation issue. Now is the season of pollen dust. I’m lucky that I don’t have allergy against it, but what’s different about this year is that the pollen contaminated with radiation flies on the air. So I’m wearing a face mask just in case whenever I go out.

Some professors specialized with radiation say there’s no need to be scared about radiation, while some do warn it. Our government always say that it’s OK for now, but they never mention how the current situation affects in 3 years, 5 years or 10 years time. Every time some dangerous radioactive materials are found, they always repeat it should not affect us immediately. I’ve watched how our government handle the entire problem and recovery in this 12 months, but I have to say our government is not reliable. They are very slow in decision making, and you will be surprised how they took so much time for recovery and helping those who were affected by the tragedy.

At a moment, I started to think of a chance to move to Singapore. But would it be any chances for me, my husband and Pi-chan to relocate and work in other country? Pi-chan is a dog. Thus I don’t think Malaysia or Muslim country is possible, in terms of religious reason.

Meanwhile, I’m preparing for the inconvenience in case of a devastating earthquake.

I always carry a map whenever I go to Tokyo, so that I can walk home. Also a whistle, in case I need to be found by someone under the rubble.

At home, I asked my husband to put a wire between these two glass lamp shades so they should not hit each other in case of an earthquake.

These rubber mats are to prevent TV from falling down.

Dozens of drinking water to be stocked at home always!

Instant foods, dry foods, snack and etc. But we need a lot more. From what I’ve heard, we need to stock food for the first 72 hours. But there’s no guarantee that we can use water, gas and electricity after a big earthquake, so it’s safer to keep something that can be eaten as it is. Some of the dry food in this picture can be warmed by some water, without heating, thanks to its special trick or device.

Thick slippers to protect ourselves from broken glasses and obstacles.

Emergency toilet sheets in case water is unavailable.

Radio, torch, bucket, facial mask, dry shampoo, antibacterial wet towel…

We have 4 seasons. So…here are something to help us feel cool and warm.

But this is still not enough. How I wish to live in a country completely free from earthquake!! Let me know if you think your country can be a good place for us to move. I personally think Singapore is most realistic. Do you have any better ideas?

« Hide more

Happy New Year!!

I hope you had a wonderful beginning of year 2012. It was shocking that we had an earthquake on the very 1st day of 2012 but that one itself was not devastating. However, much caution does no harm. We have to be prepared all the time as long as we live in Japan. Earthquakes can occur at any place, and any time. >_<

As I promised in my last post, I'd like to share with you my koto video I especially made for you to celebrate 2012!

Hope you enjoy it. (I cut and pasted from time to time because I thought it might be too long and that could be boring to you. ^ ^ So the video does not show the whole music of “Rokudan no shirabe”.)

I’m not supposed to wear an everyday’s kimono in New Year since it’s considered a festive period, but the thing is I didn’t bring back any kimono from my grandmother’s place and the one in the video and the picture is the only thing I have at a moment in my house. It’s not easy to take care of kimono. In my small apartment, there’s no room to place a chest of drawers made of paulownia wood that is especially designed to store kimono. I will eventually ask my father to keep this kimono at his place. (This problem will not be solved unless I move to a bigger house or end up with polyester kimono, forgetting about all the silk ones my father and my grandmother keep. )

Let me tell you more. ^_^ Pi-chan (right bottom of the picture) seemed to be scared of the live koto sound. She started to make some noise and apparently she looked uncomfortable with my play. lol

It’s how I placed my koto in a small living room. ^ ^;; The toys and futon on the floor belong to Pi-chan.

BTW, this is the music note. It’s written in kanji, from top to bottom, right to left. I can’t read the one in western way.

Koto and Shamisen are the only musical instruments I can play because I started to learn how to play koto at 5 and shamisen at 13. I don’t know how to play any other musical instruments. I feel koto is much more familiar to me than shamisen, because I quit both at 13 or 14. My mother was very serious as she wanted me to be a professional koto or shamisen player to make “her dream” come true.

I totally lost my childhood for practicing koto everyday. I didn’t play with friends a lot then because I had to practice it more than anything. My day ended with koto and homework. I didn’t like that. That’s the reason I completely stopped it before I turned 14. Since then, I didn’t even want to touch my koto and shamisen, until I made this video.

Then what happened? That koto video I made for the first time was so casual, I didn’t practice it well before I made it. It was kind of a “give it a try” video. Much to my surprise, that video has been viewed most frequently next to my Decotti video, and when it comes to the number of comments, it’s got way more comments than any other videos that I’ve made so far. (0w0)!!

Unfortunately koto has never been popular in Japan since I was a kid. My friends from elementary school always asked me why I was learning such a “out-of-date” musical instrument when most of all the other girls were learning how to play piano. It’s always only a few days in New Year when we hear koto music on at stores in Japan. It’s a Japanese traditional musical instrument but is disappearing from our spirit. Our life style has been so much westernized. (I like that way though. I cannot wear a kimono everyday and I prefer western inspired food to Japanese food.)

It might be my Youtube viewers that made me realize that it’s nice that I can play koto. But it took me a while until I truly feel like playing it again with pleasure from the bottom of my heart. My memory with koto has not been so nice, because it’s linked to my bitter days of practice, after practice, sacrificing my childhood, freedom, all the other kind of possibilities, and etc.

Nowadays koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi shops in Japan are decreasing. I luckily found one in Yokohama. I’ve renewed my Tsume (pick) and bought some tools at this store.

It’s quite interesting I finally truly feel like playing koto again. It must be one of the most wonderful gifts I get from TKE, besides all the wonderful friends I made through it. Thank you for reading TKE and keeping in touch with me. I hope you still enjoy TKE blog!

« Hide more