Working in Japan and else

Here I wrote my opinion about working in Japan for froma website. Enjoy!!!

https://www.froma.com/contents/baito/workstyle/36659/

Geisha, Kyoto : Culture and Beauty

It was about 8PM while we were in Gion in order to see some Geishas there as we planned. Kyoto is known as a city that is an icon of traditional culture in Japan and Gion district is a perfect place to find geisha as you don’t want to go to far from the city. Almost went back to hostel earlier due to cold weather, a Maiko walked across us. Not just us but a lot of people try to get photographs. When the Maiko was about to be disappeared, a Geisha came and greeted her.

Geisha is known as icon of Japanese traditional culture that offers beauty and entertainment. Once they decide to become Maiko (apprentice Geisha) since 15 years old, they have to live in Okiya 置屋 (traditional geisha house). They need to take 6 months training and pass the test first before their debut of being Maiko. Dancing, singing and playing music instrument is must-have skills.

Usually, they will quickly get homesick because they aren’t allowed to make any phone calls (just by writting letters) even to their parents. Communication to family and friends is believed will ruin motivation of being Maiko. Luckily, they will get a senior sister to support and help them out. The connection between Maiko and her sister is really special. There is even a ceremony as a commitment of life to mark the relationship between them. It’s a benefit for Maiko due to great reputation of the sister but it also means Maiko should try harder to do her job and not to break her sister's reputation.

Why does Geisha always do white make-up? In the past, room is just lit by candles and no electricity. White foundation is used as a reflector so cconlients would see a bright beautiful face and reach the beauty.  

Maiko wears fancier kanzashi (flower hairpin), long sleeve colorful outer kimono, red collar inner kimono and 7-metres obi with the logo of her geisha house. Less-than-one-year Maiko just puts lipstick on the lower lip (to show that she isn’t mature yet). After 5 years of being Maiko, she could become a Geisha. Geisha wears simpler kanzashi, simpler make up, white collar inner kimono and shorter sleeve outer kimono.

Truly, we got really suprised and so the Maiko when a tourist took a photograph with a camera flash. We understand due to low light and unsufficient camera ability, it’s hard to get a focus. But still, it’s a rude way to take photograph directly pointed to subject's eyes. Hope you guys won’t do that too! =)

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Ennichisai 2016, Jakarta, Indonesia : from Indonesia to Kumamoto

credit : ennichisaiblokm.com

This week, Jakarta (Indonesia) will have a big Japanese festival event named Ennichisai that is held annually. Founded by Daisei Takeya and Emi Takeya (have lived in Indonesia for 25 years) and also 3 friends, this year would be the 7th. Ennichisai is a kind of ‘Japan’s Shopping Distric Festival’ that offers Japanese culinaries, traditional culture and also pop culture. Nowadays, it has been one of the official events in South Jakarta (that has been supported by governor since 2012) and known being visited by over than 200.000 visitors per year.

Ennichisai is a formerly present from Japanese expats for Indonesian people that has treated them well. Japanese people are known as people that love and willing to join festivals and they just want to bring the happiness as they are to Indonesian people that love Japanese stuffs and hope that this can make relation of these countries tighter.

Miracle-The Power of Love becomes the theme of Ennichisai 2016. There will be 3 giant love boards which are placed in 3 areas in Little Tokyo Blok M. Visitors could write love messages to the people they love and stick it on board .Then, by paying donation fee Rp 10.000, you may get 1 of 4 different colors bracelet. Something funny is pink bracelet that is just for single person. Maybe some of visitors could get relationship after this event ends. We hope so. Hahaha....... Still, Ennichisai is not held for profit. Part of the love board profits will be donated to Kumamoto prefecture citizens whom faced 6,2SR earthquake that happened on 2016,April 14.

As usual, there will be traditional stage (M stage) and pop culture stage (P stage).

In order to introduce Japanese traditional culture to Indonesian citizens, this year Ennichisai has performance of Hiraoki Kato and street performance (mikoshi, wadaiko, eisa, shamisen, koto, yosakoi contest, nihon buyou, oiran dochu and shishimai). Mikoshi parade is still the most crowded and famous from year to year. There will be thousand of people watching this performance as they filled almost every inch of Little Tokyo area. Human barricade has to try as hard as possible so there will be a way for Mikoshi parade.

The second stage is a huge stage for pop culture stage. Collaborate with Clas:H, Ennichisai 2016 has Clas:H Single Cosplay Competition, Indonesia Cosplay Grand Prix (ICGP), World Karaoke Grand Prix for Indonesian region and also performances from famous Japanese artists (SAGA, Loverin Tamburin, Love Android, Musumen, Faint Star, REDSHiFT, Yumi and Intan Akimoto and also jazz pianist Rei Narita.

Every year, this Japanese event causes huge crowd and lot of happiness for visitors. To reach this location, you just need to get off on Blok M Transjakarta bus shelter and take a few walk. You’ll meet P Stage first and the crowd will finally lead you to the Little Tokyo. Oh, yeah! Please trash your rubbish in trash can even you will always see Jakarta Osoji Club with their green T-Shirt voluntarily collecting rubbish in this area. 

Here is the map and also here is the rundown.

Have fun! =)

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku Tower: Reaching Heaven

Osaka is known as food heaven as you could find in Dotonbori and Shinsekai. Shinsekai means New World that refers to a district that adapted mixture essence of Paris and New York. Just 10 minutes walk from Shin-Imamiya Station and you could find this place with Tsutenkaku Tower as iconic landmark in Osaka.

Tsutenkaku Tower literally means ‘Tower Reaching to Heaven’. Built in 1912, Tsutenkaku Tower was the tallest building in East Asia with height of 64 metres that time. Later, it was reconstructed in 1956 after being attacked in World War II (1943). The current height is 103 metres, 39 metres higher than the original building.

Observation platforms are on the 4th and 5th floor, with bird-viewing feature. 

Biliken is an American charm doll that is believed could bring good fortune if you put coin in donation box and rub the soles. It used to be placed inside Luna Park, but unfortunately, it was closed in 1923, and the Biliken statue was lost. They tried to find it, however, after getting no result, they finally made a copy of the wooden Biliken statue to be placed inside the observation platform with seven deities.

B1F    : Tsutenkaku Wakuwaku Land, Ticket Box,

1F      : Wakuwaku Land Entrance, Observation Platform Entrance

2F      : Jan Jan Town, Kinnikuman Museum, Observation Elevator hall

3F      : Shinsekai diorama Display, Cafe de Luna Park (21 seats), Glico-ya

4F      : Observation Platform (84 metres)

5F      : Observation Platform, Biliken Shrine (87.5 metres)

Every year, this tower is visited by about 700.000 people. Another interesting stuff is the LED lighting that displays different color, following the season and weather forecast.

Jan and Feb          : white means snow

Mar and Apr         : pink means cherry blossom

May and Jun         : green means new leaves

July and Aug        : blue mean sea/sky

Sep until Nov       : gold means ear of rice (rice crop)

Dec                      : blue-green means fir tree

At the basement, they also offer performances of rakugo (comic storytelling), manzai (comical conversation) and local enka (popular balled singer) on weekends.

It has an atmosphere like carnival here. You may find a lot of snack stalls, restaurants, souvenir shops and pachinkos. 

Try the famous kushikatsu, warabi mochi, takoyaki, oden, yakiniku, okonomiyaki and many more in reasonable prices. 

Don’t miss fugu (blowfish) restaurant too (we recommend Zuboraya restaurant). But according to stories that we found on the Internet, people tend to avoid visiting Shinsekai at night. In 1990s, there are a lot of criminal activities here. Even though the criminality has decreased now, the dangerous image still remains for most citizen.

Address                : Ebisu-Higashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka

Tsutenkaku Tower

Opening Hours                : 9AM to 9PM (last admission is 8.30PM)

Admission Fee                : Adult                                               : 700 yen

                                        University stu.                                 : 500 yen

                                        Junior/Senior high school stu.         : 400 yen

                                        Elementary and above 5 years old    : 300 yen

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Ichiran Ramen, Shibuya : Find It Customizeable!

Shibuya has always been known as a super crowded district in Tokyo, Japan, especially since it has ‘Shibuya Crossing’. Hundreds of people cross the road at the same time once the traffic light switches to green.

Just three minutes walking from Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station, you would soon reach Ichiran Ramen restaurant in the first basement floor of Iwamoto Building. Yes, in Japan it is usual to find a lot of business in one building. They usually put sign boards in front of the building to inform and promote their businesses. 

Ichiran Ramen opens 24 hours but for huge experience here, it's better to come at dinner when Shibuya's super crowded atmosphere begins.

Ichiran Ramen is a restaurant that is specialized on its Tonkotsu ramen since 1960s. Of course, it isn’t halal for moslem because tonkotsu means pig bones (to make). What makes Ichiran ramen special? 

The Ichiran’s original red sauce (red-pepper-based sauce mixed with 30 types of spices, cooked slowly for days), home made fresh noodle, classic tonkotsu soup (pork-based broth), sliced pork, green onion and Ichiran’s original water.

Maybe by reading previous posts, you are getting accustomed with these meal vending machines all across Japan. The vending machine is located at the entrance of the restaurant. Buy the ramen ticket first and you can purchase any additional items after that. 

The staff at the front will give an order sheet that you need to mark, about your preference on the noodle firmness, level of spiciness, soup thickness and others. If you don’t understand Japanese, don’t worry. They have English version and you can also ask the staff.

You may also check which seats are available from vacant seat information panel where you wait in queue after purchasing the ramen ticket. If the light is on, it means the seat is available. They has 21 counters. After you get seated, fill your order sheet with preferences that you like. It’s really customizeable and we love it. Once you finished, press the button in front of you and hand it over (including meal ticket that you get from vending machine) to the staff.

Ichiran is getting famous nowadays as it offers unique experience. This restaurant isn’t big but full of creativity. The stairs is quite narrow, kind of just for one person to entry and one for exit. But guess what? The design is awesome. 

The counter seat is a real-individual-private seat that divides you with other customers by wooden panels. You may also find cups and water tap in front of you, tissue box and coat hangers at the back. In fact, the wooden panel can be bent if you want to talk to your friend. But we didn’t do that because of thinking about customers that were queueing outside as we were before. So we made this dinner experience as soon as possible. Once your order is served, staff will close the bamboo curtain so you can concentrate just on your ramen. Enjoyyy!!! Don’t forget to make a ‘SLURPP’ sound to tell the chef that the ramen tastes good. It isn’t rude in Japan.  

For you that would like to order more side dishes (maybe the noodle portion is not enough), you may also fill the other order sheet that staff gives you after you get your seat. Press the button again and hand it over. How about the payment? You could just pay it there, without going to vending machine again.  

Address      : Iwamoto Building B1F 1-22-7 Jinnan, Shibuya Ward

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Osaka Takoyaki Museum : Delightful Taste in One Bite

Here we go for eating again. Let’s go to Osaka Takoyaki Museum! First, you need to get train to Universal City Station and get off there.

Soon you’ll find Universal City Walk that is located right before Universal Studio Japan. 

You could find a lot of shops here and restaurants. If you are manga lovers, you might be interested to visit Jump Shop.

Compared with the other museums, Osaka Takoyaki Museum is a kind of food theme park like Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum. You may read it here. Five famous takoyaki restaurants (Kukuru, Yamachan, Juuhachiban, Aizuya and Kogaryu) are provided here to make sure you are satisfied. No entrance fee is needed, so you just need to pay for  what you eat.

Takoyaki, is literally from the word tako (octopus) and yaku (to grill). First popularized in Osaka and become one of the most famous snacks all over Japan. It was inspired by Akashiyaki, small round dumpling from Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture (made by egg rich batter and octopus). Now, takoyaki has reached Kanto region and other sites in Japan. But, international tourists still always try to find the original Osaka takoyaki.

Takoyaki is ball-shaped snack that is made by batter of flour in a special pan. The filling is usually diced octopus, green onion, tempura scramp (deep fried batter or also called tenkasu) and pickled ginger. If it is not orginal one, they also pour takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise and also sprinkle aonori (dried green seaweed) and dried bonito flakes (katsuboshi).

At this time, we chose Abenotakoyaki Yamachan that was located in the edge of this museum. 

Very crowded and we should wait in line. First, we needed to buy our order at vending machine. Don’t worry if you don’t understand Japanese! They provided images and price list there. We bought an 8-balls-takoyaki portion and it cost 850 yen. Once you have chosen and paid, the receipt will come out and you’ll need to find your seat. When your order number is called, you may go take your order. If you don’t understand Japanese, you may ask the waiter/ waitress to help you out. Some could speak English a litttle bit.

Finally, we got our order. 

Extremely yummy. Outside is crispy and inside is fluffy. No wonder why people from the entire world end up with takoyaki in Osaka. Because it is bite-sized, most of Japanese eat it in just one bite. 

We can’t do that, truly. Be careful and choose the way you eat it because we finally burnt our tongue. Hahahaha......

One thing for sure that we find interesting is the way how the cook flips the already-grilled-side of takoyaki to the other side. 

They are really amazing. Fast, good in hand and the shape is totally ball-shaped. Because the kitchen is placed beside the vending machine which means in the front side, while waiting in line, we could watch it as attraction and record it.

Here you also can find souvernir shop that sell takoyaki making utensils and Osaka’s souvenirs.

Address                   : 6 Chome-2-61 Shimaya, Konohana Ward

    Osaka Prefecture 554-0024, Japan

    (4th floor of Osaka City Shops)

Opening Hour          : 11AM until 10PM

Website                  : http://ucw.jp/otm/

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Japanese for Travelling (Part 3)

On a trip, maybe something unexpected could happen. In this post, we’ll talk about emergency’s vocabularies.

Byouki                                              病気

Ill/ sick

Guai ga warui                                   具合が悪い

My condition isn’t good

Hakike ga shimasu                           吐き気がを します

 I feel nauseous

Atama ga itai                                  頭が病い

Headache

Ha ga itai                                        歯が病い

Toothache

Onaka ga itai                                   お腹が病い

Stomachache

Netsu ga arimasu                            熱があります

Fever

Kega o shite imasu                           怪我を して います

Injury

Isha                                                 医者

Doctor

Haisha                                             歯医者

Dentist

Byouin                                              病院

Hospital

Kurinikku                                         クリニック    

Clinic

Shinsatsu                                        診察               

Medical examination

Ketsuatsu                                        血圧

Blood Pressure

Houtai                                             包帯

Bandage

Kusuri                                              薬

Medicine

Yakkyoku                                         薬局

Pharmacy

Kyuukyuusha                                    救急車

Ambulance

Nyuuin shimashita                        入院しました

Opname

Shujutsu                                         手術

Operation

Ryokou Hoken                               旅行 保険

Travel Insurance

O-isha/kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai

お医者/救急車をよんでください

Please call the doctor/ambulance!

Tasukete kudasai

助けてください

Please help me!

Ryokou hoken o tsukaemasu ka

旅行保険を使えますか

Can I use travel insurance?

Luckily, on our trip, we didn’t get any significant problems. Only Foody got fever and had to get some rest in hostel. We suggest to buy a travel insurance, especially for backpackers like us, realising that we have tight budget and no extra money for emergency stuff. But please make sure that you read all the terms and conditions. Try to compare the benefit of each policy!

Have fun =)

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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Hostels and Hotels : Our Trip in Japan

Today we are going to write reviews of the hostels and hotels that we went to during our trip in Japan. Please remember that we only make these reviews based on our opinions and don’t have any purposes to ruin certain hostel’s or hotel’s reputation. Just sharing  what we felt and exprerienced. Enjoy!

1. Osaka Hana Hostel, Osaka

1-8-4, Nishi-shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Namba, Osaka, Jepang 542-0086

Osaka Hana Hostel was the hostel that we s on our first night in Japan. The location was great because it is really close to Amemura and you could find convenience stores and souvenir and also snack shops easily.

Kitchen                 credit : agoda.com

We arrived at about 9PM after we went to Dotonbori. Soon after we entered the hostel, Megumi (staff here) greeted and explained us rules inside the hostel (in English with cute Japanese accent). She was a kind of so (or over?) friendly. Wkwkwk..... We took private room for 2 people that night (costs 3.500/person). Everything is good. The room, toilet, shower, kitchen. All are clean. Staff is friendly and good in service.

Note : When your first staying in Hana Hostel or J-Hoppers Hostel, you will be given a discount sheet. One night stay, one stamp. You would get 300 yen discount every three stamps and that this has no expired date.

2. J-Hoppers Osaka Guesthouse, Osaka

Fukushima-Ku Fukushima 7-4-22, Umeda, Osaka, Jepang 553-0003

Our second hostel was J-Hoppers Osaka Guesthouse (same group with Osaka Hana Hostel). J-Hoppers’s interior design was pretty similar to Osaka Hana Hostel. So familiar. The staffs were also nice as well but the building was a little bit smaller.

We slept in 6 Beds Dorm room and had no unpleasant experience there. They made us having a good rest after all the tiredness of walking through Tenjinbashisuji (7 blocks of shopping street) . Can you feel it?

3. Kobe Sannomiya R2 Hostel, Kobe

2-4-6 Kumoidori, Chuo-ku, Bay Area, Kobe, Jepang 651-0096

   Being great adventurers, we always arrived late at all hostels that we would stay. We came here right after a short exploring of Mountain Rokko to see the one-million-dollar-view from above. Mountain Rokko has been popular site nowadays that you must visit in Kobe.

 

credit : agoda.com

  The design of this hostel was simple. All facilities are good, clean and tidy. The staff was a foreigner and of course, fluent in English without any Japanese accent. No complain!

4. Guesthouse Nara Backpackers, Nara

Yurugi-Cho 31, Pusat Kota Nara, Nara, Jepang 630-8283

So here it is, Footy’s favorites hostel. Guesthouse Nara Backpackers. Actually, this is a nearly 100 years Japanese house that has been modified with modern utensils (such as shower and modern kitchen set). One thing we love much was kotatsu (炬燵) in living room. 

Living Room          credit : booking.com

It is a low, wooden table frame, covered by a futon (or heavy blanket) upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, generally built into the table itself. It was perfect since we got cold weather there so we could stay warm. The small garden was beautiful and you could also enjoy reading books here. Definitely will come back, no doubt!

Note : Don’t make noisy sound or run inside the hostel. Chiharu-san was super friendly (Footy has long chat with her and the other international tourists). Her English was really good and if you find and problem, don’t hesitate to ask!

5. Kyoto Utano Youth Hostel, Kyoto

29 Nakayama-cho Uzumasa Ukyou-ku, Arashiyama, Kyoto, Jepang 616-8191

 credit : agoda.com

“This isn’t a hostel, this must be a hotel”. That is our thought once we reached this hostel. We re-read the name and yes, it was hostel, not hotel. The building was extremely huge. They had laundry room (they even provided iron there), tennis court and live music inside. 

Dining room was spacious with self-kitchen. It is okay if you don’t want to cook yourself. They provided chef to cook for breakfast and supper. The hostel was exactly like how they won “Best Hostel Award: Most Comfortable Hostel 2009”. It costs 3.500 yen/person for 6 beds dorm room. It’s highly recommended.

6. Nine Hours Capsule Hotel, Kyoto

588 Teianmaeno-cho Shijokudaru Teramachidori Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto Pusat, Kyoto, Jepang 600-8031

Visiting Japan will never be complete without trying the capsule hotel. Unfortunately, there are so many capsule hotels that only allow male guests. But after searching many times, we came across Nine Hours Capsule Hotel. It was featured in a traveling website that talked about recommended capsule hotels in Japan and we chose it instantly.

The design will attract you to the end. Dominated by black, white and gray color. We could feel modern atmosphere, especially the capsule itself. Super modern and not as small as we imagine before. One you check in, they will give you shoe locker key, baggage key (contains slippers) and a amenity bag (contains lounge wear, towels, tooth brush, tooth paste and slippers).

But Footy wasn’t really fond of staying here for two reasons. First, the staff had kind of bad attitude and no smile at all. Second, despite of its amazing design, the atmosphere was too stiff and tensed. It felt like we live in a “prison”. Moreover with the gray lounge wear or you could say the “uniform”. Monotone. If you want to try capsule hotel at least once, it’s ok to stay here one night. But for regular stay, we prefer to look for regular hostels.

Note : Don’t lose your key! Because they will charge the replacement fee and it’s not cheap (5.000 yen and 2.000 yen).

7. Tsukiji First Cabin, Tokyo

2-11-10 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Ginza, Tokyo, Jepang 104-0045
Tuskiji First Cabin have almost similar with Nine Hours Capsule Hotel. 

Everyone is provided a capsule room that is big enough, has Flat TV inside (even though Footy don’t understand Japanese language). The staffs were also nicer than Nine Hours. The same thing was provided lounge ware, tooth brush and tooth paste are provided. 

Foody was definitely stay long hours here peacefully inside her capsule room after got fever. We had a better time here and the location is really near to Tsukiji Fish Market which would be our first destination on the next morning.

Note : The check-in time is 5PM but you could entrust your baggage to recepsionist if you come here before the check-in time. Check-out time is 10AM.

8. Bakpak Tokyo Hostel, Tokyo

110 0012 Tokyo Prefecture, Taito-ku Ryusen  3-12-5 , Japan

This was probably the hostel that we liked the least in this journey. We booked this hostel so sudden, 2 days before. All is  because we didn’t want to spend another night at the park (thank you very much). When we booked it, we saw at the web that this hostel won some kind of awards before. This was probably the best one at that time since we didn’t have many options left due to the sudden booking. By the time we came inside, we were pretty shocked. It was far from our expectation. The building and elevator seems untreated. The rooms felt kinda dirty as well but we could handle it for a night. But no more for the second time.

To sum it up, we prefer to stay in hostels due to its less formality. Since they have living room and kitchen room, you can interact with the staffs and some other guests. Please make sure to follow the hostel’s and hotel’s rules because it isn’t our house. Peace =)

We eat, we walk, we talk

-FoodyFooty2-

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