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| Friday, 17-Mar-2006 23:22 |
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Watanabe's Garden
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Bungo Ume
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Sakuranbo
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atau cherry
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blueberry
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| Saturday, 4-Mar-2006 11:06 |
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Ume ~ Japanese Plum Blossoms
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Jalan-jalan ke Beppu Park sekejap untuk menghilangkan kebosanan packing barang. Enjoy sunny day, clear sky with Zakiah and Haura'.
 
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| Thursday, 2-Mar-2006 12:27 |
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Pre-school activity ~ Seikatsu happyoukai
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Inilah penyertaan terakhir kami di dalam aktiviti sekolah Zakiah, anak kedua kami yang belajar di Oita Rougakkou. Selepas ini kami cuti selama sebulan sebelum pulang ke Malaysia akhir Mac ini. Persembahan ini diadakan setiap hujung tahun untuk melihat pencapaian anak sepanjang setahun di sekolah....tiada exam macam kat Malaysia tu. Letih tengok anak-anak berlatih dan menyediaan peralatan, letih juga tengok cikgu-cikgunya kelam kabut mengatur aktiviti. Bukan mudah nak urus anak-anak seusia 4-6 tahun jika tiada kesabaran. Ibu-ibu pun tak boleh lepas tangan...kene ikut serta menyediakan peralatan dan melihat anak berlatih.
Kalau sistem pendidikan Malaysia ikut cara sistem pendidikan di Jepun ni....tak tahulah macamana. Takut tak ramai dah yang berminat nak jadi cikgu. Tapi sistem ni menjadikan hubungan murid dan guru kelasnya amat rapat...
Dalam kelas setiap pelajar ada binatang peliharaan dan kesukaan masing-masing. Zakiah suka zarigani (crayfish), kawan sekelasnya Satou suka ladybird dan Shibata suka katak. Berlatar belakangkan 4 musim di Jepun, mereka melakonkan balik apa yang dipelajari dari awal tahun. Banyak juga dialog yang kena diingat....namun matlamat utamanya adalah komitmen dan kesungguhan pelajar. Melatih anak-anak berani tampil di hadapan orang ramai dan membuat persembahan.
Peluang mengikuti sistem pendidikan di sini adalah satu perkara yang sangat bererti. Dulu sebelum datang Jepun saya jadi ketua guru disiplin....susahnya nak tahu rumah pelajar bila ada masalah timbul. Kadang-kadang murid tipu alamat dan nombor telefon penjaga. Ibu bapa murid pun belum tentu guru kenal. Hubungan murid dan guru nampak dekat tapi sebenarnya jauh, tak dapat nak menyelami hati murid sepenuhnya. Mungkin tekanan kepada peperiksaan menjadikan hubungan guru dan murid agak jauh.
Inilah pengalaman....orang kata jauh perjalanan luas pandangan.
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| Tuesday, 28-Feb-2006 08:38 |
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Sinaran pagi di Negara Matahari Terbit
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| Quote: | | Beberapa hari ni susah nak tengok matahari terbit. Awan selalu menutupi matahari...tak pun hujan. Rasa rindu pula. Akhirnya...dapat juga menikmati matahari terbit. Subab itulah kita diajar dan selalu diperingatkan, bila dapat menikmati sesuatu....bersyukurlah kepada PenciptaNya. Belum tentu kita akan dapat menikmatinya buat kali kedua dilain kali. |
Mula tu ambil aje gambar dari dalam rumah sebab cuaca masih sejuk
Tapi akhirnya keluar juga ke beranda dan ambil beberapa keping gambar.
Tak pernah jemu menanti matahari terbit dan menikmati keindahannya. Maha Agung PenciptaNya.
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| Sunday, 26-Feb-2006 09:05 |
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Beppu City ~ always in our heart
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Hampir dua tahun di Beppu, berulang alik dari rumah ke kelas dan menikmati pemandangan laut dan gunung ganang sepanjang pergi dan balik....meninggalkan kenangan manis yang sudah pasti akan terus terpahat di ingatan.
Sebagai satu kenangan sebelum pulang....kami ambil gambar Beppu city dari pelbagai sudut. Mula tu ambil gambar dari Tanoura Beach.
Masih lagi ingat masa mula-mula sampai negara matahari terbit ni...bila lah nak balik Malaysia semula...tapi bila dah nak balik, terasa belum mahu balik. Kalau ada peluang pasti akan datang lagi.
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| Friday, 24-Feb-2006 10:45 |
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Nagasaki ~ at night
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Hujan renyai masa ni...tak banyak ambil gambar diwaktu malam. View dari Mt Inasa di waktu malam lebih cantik...tapi kami kesuntukan masa. Pusing sekali round, sempat ambil gambar Nagasaki station...
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| Saturday, 18-Feb-2006 13:01 |
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Nagasaki ~ Lantern Festival
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This year, Nagasaki lantern festival was celebrated from 29 January till 12 February. At this time, the city is filled with colorful Chinese lanterns in various themes. The main street of Nagasaki city, all over China Town, as well as along kanko dori and in the Hamanomachi, is decorated with 12,000 Chinese lanterns and colorful large floats depicting birds, beasts, historical figures, and others.
Back in the day when Japan was closed to foreign trade, there were Chinese people allowed to live in Nagasaki. They have small china town and do a good New Year festival.
Nowadays, Lantern Festival is an annual event in Nagasaki, celebrated Chinese New Year in the Chinese lunar calendar for 14 days in Japanese way. During this time don’t hope to get a hotel room without early booking at least two weeks before. Unless if you want to try Love Hotel. But better you don't. It was really people mountain, people sea.
| Quote: | | Knew this festival from friend who went there for business trip a week before. Thinking of doesn’t want to miss the opportunity of experiencing the festivity, tried to book hotel through internet, travel agent and friends. Unfortunately all were fully booked. It was also really hard to get parking space, restaurant as well overrun. |
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| Friday, 17-Feb-2006 05:57 |
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Nagasaki~history of western culture
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Historical fact
Nagasaki is famous with the history of first contact between Japan and the western culture/super power. It was through this area Japan learned new civilization. Many old buildings, churches, temple, etc present in Nagasaki city tell how important was this area to Japan. If the atomic bombing was not happened, we could see clearly the heritage.
According to history record, Portuguese ship first arrived at Nagasaki in 1543. They sailed from Malacca to Macau, and then from Macau to Nagasaki. Since then, Nagasaki was opened to foreign countries for trading including English, Dutch, and Chinese.
Dejima
This is not Dejima, the former Ozeki sumo wrestler, but Dejima man made island. It played an important role in modernization of Japan, which reached completion in 1636. A great amount of western culture came through Dejima, the sole door of Japan opened to the west. It was built for Portuguese residents through investments by 25 of Nagasaki wealthiest Japanese merchants. But then the exact details of the construction project remain a mystery to this day.
Glover Garden
Glover garden is an open-air museum consist of nine western house built between 1868 until 1912.
Along the street, visitor can see Europe 16th century scene.
Oura Catolic Church
Is the oldest Gothic style church in Japan. It was completed in 1865 by a French minister.
Spectacles Bridge (called megane bashi)
This is Japan's first arch-style stone bridge. Built in 1634 by a Zen priest at Kokufu Temple. The name is said to have been given because its shadow reflected on the surface of the Nakashima river two circles, looking like spectacle.
| Quote: | If visiting Nagasaki city, don't forget to buy Castella cake (pronounced here as kasutera). It’s a sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup and sold in long boxes. Popular at festivals and as a street food in Japan. Now associated with Nagasaki, actually introduced by the Portuguese merchants to this city in 16th century. It’s said that the name is derived from Portuguese pão de Castella, meaning "bread from Castile". ( Dah habis makan kek baru teringat nak ambil gambar...zannen nagara)
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| Monday, 13-Feb-2006 12:09 |
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Nagasaki City ~ Heiwa Kouen (Peace Park)
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Remembering the atomic victims.
On August 9, 1945, 11.02 a.m., an atomic bomb called 'Fatman' was dropped into Nagasaki City. And within a second, this historical place dated back to 1500s turn into ashes.
When visiting the Atomic Bomb Museum, seeing how difficult it was, it reminds me to the Malay proverb, berat mata memandang berat lagi bahu memikul (no matter how difficult it seems for an onlooker, it is surely much more difficult for the sufferer).
Pray to god that this kind of tragedy will not be repeated again.
| Quote: | | Heiwa Kouen (Peace Park) is created in the hope of lasting world peace. |
Those who want to visit Japan, or already in Japan, don't forget to visit Nagasaki city or Hiroshima city. The effect was more severe in Hiroshima city since it has flat area compare to Nagasaki, valley with many mountain areas.
| Quote: | A day trip to Nagasaki city.
Thinking of heavy traffic and lots of people will come to Nagasaki city for the only remaining weekend of Nagasaki Lantern Festival, we left Beppu at around 6.00 am and arrived there at 8.30 a.m. Since it will be a one day trip, we plan properly our movement. First target is Peace Park and the second one is lantern festival. We wanted to spend more time inside the museum, yet time not allowed. |
 
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| Sunday, 12-Feb-2006 02:40 |
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Totoro
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Pertama kali menonton kartun totoro ni, 2 tahun lepas...selepas itu, kartun ini menjadi antara kartun kegemaran anak-anak. Seronok apabila tengok anak-anak ceria ke tempat ini biarpun penat menunggu kerana tempatnya yang agak jauh dan terpencil.
Tempat ini bukanlah lokasi sebenar seperti dalam cerita tonari no totoro. Ia diberi nama kampung totoro kerana ada cerita tersendiri...Cerita ini dipetik dari lama web Ume Town.
| Quote: | About 40 years ago, in the Totoro area of the Tabaru district of Ume, the locals had no bus stop in their immediate area, which was proving to be quite an inconvenience for the families sending their children to school every morning. It was time for something to be done, and the residents of Totoro took matters into their own hands. After lengthy negotiations with the local bus company, it was decided that the residents of Totoro could have their much needed bus stop - but with one condition. They must make the bus stop themselves. Not letting this faze them, the local families constructed a bus stop - small and humble as it was - for their children to use every morning and afternoon. The inside was so small that only two children could sit down at once, but that didn’t matter. It was rightfully the pride and joy of Totoro, a symbol of community spirit. And with that, 'Totoro' bus stop was born.
It wasn’t until many years later, after the success of director Miyazaki Hayao`s 'Tonari no Totoro' animated film (now considered a classic of the genre) that things started to 'change' around the Totoro bus stop. The film is set in a peaceful country town - not unlike Ume - and features an evening scene where two of the main characters are waiting at a bus stop in the rain. After a while the rain stops, and out of the darkness appears a fictional 'Totoro' (think of a cross between a large panda and cat) and 'Cat Bus'.
After watching this film, the children of the Totoro area in Ume were giddy with excitement. What if the 'real' Totoro arrives at our bus stop one day? Or even the Cat Bus? Waiting for the school bus every morning became an exciting event. And then, one day, the children’s fantasy became reality! A hand painted 'Totoro' appeared beside the bus stop! Not long after this mysterious Totoro appeared, the area was featured on a TV program, and then in a newspaper article. Suddenly, this quiet district in Ume became busy with people all wanting to discover 'Totoro' and its bus stop. People came from far and wide, and the small, winding mountain roads leading to Totoro became crowded with number plates from all over Japan - giving the locals quite a shock! Coming all this way for a glimpse of their beloved `Totoro`...
After a while, the children of Totoro started to wish for a place where all these people from far away places that were visiting their tiny area could leave some kind of message. After all, everyone that visited (as well as the locals) all shared the same love of Totoro! In the true community spirit of the Totoro area, hearing the children’s wish Mr. and Mrs. Yano, a local couple, decided to do something about it. 'Totoro`s forest' was created, a short 100 meter walk from the bus stop itself. In Totoro`s forest, there is a beautiful oak tree by a stream which is now decorated with hundreds of hand-made 'Totoro' figurines inscribed with messages from the many visitors of Totoro bus stop.
But the story doesn’t end there. Not long after Totoro`s forest was created, another mysterious happening occurred in Totoro. One morning, the local residents awoke to find that the 'Cat Bus' had finally arrived! The children were ecstatic! But, who made this massive wooden figure? Who hand painted it lovingly? And who brought it all the way here? Ask these questions to the locals of Totoro, and they will give you the slightest smile, a mischievous glint in the corner of their eye. But inevitably the only answer you will hear is: who knows?
The story of the 'Totoro' bus stop has become a local legend in Ume. For the local residents of Totoro, it has brought them more visitors then they ever could have imagined meeting, from more places than they could have ever possibly visited. 'All these people visiting makes me very happy!' says a local grandma with a smile. 'I’m going to have to live to be a hundred now!' When you visit Totoro, don’t expect to see any shops or the usual vending machines associated with popular tourist spots - there isn’t any. What you can expect however is warm hospitality from the locals, who will no doubt be very happy to share their version on the 'Totoro Bus Stop' legend with you, possibly over a hot cup of green tea.
The `Totoro Bus Stop` is located in the Totoro area of Tabaru district, in the western part of Ume. From National Highway 326, turn into Taburu on Route 6, and follow the signs (or the cat bus!). |
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