Kita-Kyushu Market

This is the wet market of Kita-Kyushu. It is covered and lined with stalls. It is clean, dry and odourless. The stalls are typical the same with Malaysia. Many groceries and food stalls apart from the vegetable and meats. I wonder if we can have similar environment in our traditional market?

Vehicle

This is the transport commonly found in the fish wholesale market of Tsujiki. An electric-driven vehicle with trolley at the back is very tiny and flexible moving around easily within a limited space. The drivers are so skillful that loading and unloading is becoming an easy job. This is the first time I saw such vehicle.

Sashimi Lunch at Ueno

This is the sashimi lunch I have at the Ueno pedestrian shopping mall, Tokyo, Japan. It is fresh and tasty (of course with the wasabi), and importantly affordable compared to other parts of Tokyo. A bowl of rice with salmon fish, tuna fish and scallop only cost me $ 500 yen, some what $ 200 yen lower than elsewhere. I do have a good bargain.

Sashimi Breakfast

I likes sushi so much that I cannot resist from having a sashimi breakfast early morning at the Tsukijishijo Fish Market on 21/8/2009. There are so many stalls selling sushi and sashimi, and surprising so many tourists are taking them. I guess everyone comes to witness the fishes auction will not feel mission completed without having the sushi or sashimi there. I hope my friend, Li Lian who was there but decided not to have the breakfast will not regret later.

Tsukijishijo Fish Market

When I reached there on last Friday morning, I was taken a back seeing the large size of tuna fish. I have never imagined of seeing tuna fish with this size. There are load of tuna fish and other species at this famous Tsujikishijo Fish Wholesale market. Apart from having many variety of fishes, the attraction of this market for most of the tourists is the bidding system of tuna fish. Individual buyers put up their bidding price in a secret, yet fair manner. This system avoids monopoly by certain groups and at the same time protect the interest of the fishermen. I think similar arrangement should be practiced across other sectors and, if possible in all countries. The fairness will ensure farmers and fishermen do not victimise by any unscrupulous practices.

Mount Fuji

This is a picture of mine taken at the 45th Floor of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, Block 1. I was there to grasp the chance to see Mount Fuji from the watching gallery. Unfortunately, the sight was blocked by haze due to the bad weather. Well, next time must go to the Mount Fuji physically.

Presentation

I did the presentation of Proposed Implementation of E-Waste Management in Malaysia on behalf of the participants on the last day of our course at JICA, Tokyo International Centre. The presentation is the summary of our proposed application of Japanese best practices for recycling economy. It is modified according to our local circumstances. We enjoyed the session with inputs from our facilitators from JICE, METI and JOEA.

Harbin Restaurant

I noticed this signboard when I was walking along Ueno area towards Akihabara, Tokyo last week. It is a restaurant selling Harbin food, a city at the North East of China. I have an interest of it since my other half comes from this city.

Ginza

I am standing at the main street of Ginza, Tokyo, Japan last Sunday. The road was closed on weekend for pedestrian passage. I do not think I have other opportunity to stand at the centre of the busier road and have a relax photo taken. This must be chance once in a life time. If you have come here on weekday, you cannot imagine that you might have the luxury of hiding yourself under the canopy and have a sip of coffee. Ginza, known as the most expensive central business district in the World is home to many high end shopping complex and flagship shops, the goods that I cannot afford.

My Girl is 3 Years Old Now

On 18th August 2009, my little girl is 3 years old now. Happy Birthday, girl. Looking at her days by days, do not realise that time flies and she will be going to kindergarten next year. Another stage of life for her.

DIY Photos Developing Machine

I notice this machine at basically every busier street in Tokyo. This is self help machine for developing photos from our Sd card, pen drive, hard disk, mobile phone memory card and others. The instruction shown on the screen of machine is very precise and clear in which basically everyone can develop photos on their own. This modus operandi and the popularity of digital camera will revolutionaries the whole filming especially the photos shop industry world wide. We might one day witness the closing of many photos shop, and this trend is inevitable unless the traditional photos shops reinvent themselves. Perhaps the trend of DIY is coming very soon to Malaysia, but of course for safety reason, it will not be on the streets but guarded area like shopping centres.

Raining

The day I departed from Odate City, it was rained heavily. My luggage was wet while waiting for the bus to the airport. It must be rare experience for the local as annual rain flow level is not that high in this part of Japan. However, having the rain is not as bad as of getting typhoon, flash flood and earth quake in other part of Japan. Some of my friends jokingly said Malaysian should experience the earth quake and typhoon rather than the normal heavy rain, but for me it is better not.

Lake Towada

Lake Towada with depth of 328 meter is located at the Kosaka Town of Akita. An hour drive from the Odate City is worth the journey. The scenery from the observatory post at Hakka Pass is wonderful and refreshing. It is so calm and peaceful with cool wind brewing on your face. The green, with some artificially planted landscape integrated well with the blue water. This is an experience equivalent to the Lake Toba of Indonesia, i thought.

Odate Town, Agita

I am now in Odate Town, Agita after spending more than 5 hours on the plane and bus traveling from Kita-Kyushu City back to Tokyo and then to this town. This is an agro-based country side town with a lot of greenery and paddy field. Well, perhaps it is time to explore the other side of urbanised Japan.

Mojiko Retro

This picture of me was taken in front of the pedestrian bridge at the Mojiko Retro of the Kita-Kyushu City, Japan this Saturday afternoon. The scenery at the sea side with the buildings integrated well with the nature is so beautiful, more so during sunset time. A lot of tourists especially the local are spending their casual time here. This must be the first tourists spot I visited Japan so far. The area is famous for its strategic location, the siting of railway museum, a train station and jetty for cruise here.

Scrap Metal

Can you imagine what is the cube that i am holding? It is the outer body of a car after hard press process. It is scrap metal, the final output at the automobile recycling factory at KitaKyushu City I visited last Friday. After dismantling the engine, windows, coolant, seats, tank, carpet, battery, bonnet, lamps, doors, wires, the car is hard pressed into ferrous scrap before sending for melting for steel.

Amazing isn't it?

I am now in Kita-Kyushu City, about 2 hour flight time south of Tokyo. It is a model of Eco-town transforming from the heavily polluted industries. It is now becoming the front runner in showing recycling industries, basically all type of used products are recycled for new resources and material for other types of industries.

This picture was taken at the lobby of the City Council office while waiting for briefing to start. The lobby is full of display panels exhibiting the history, places of interest, unique crafts and tradition and many more that will make you felt not to miss any one of them. Well, of course apart from time availability, it is costly to cover everything. I have to make a choice. Since environmental protection and innovation is so highly talked about here, the environmental museum, the Eco-town service centre and the parks should not be the places to give a miss, I hope.

Building and Nature

I found this shop while walking my way to the YoYoGi-Uehara Station of the Chiyoda Line. The placing of flower pots along the narrow street and junctions no only beautify the area and it is very refreshing.

If similar scene is happened in Malaysia, I believe either the plants will be removed and confiscated by the authority or be run over by the approaching vehicles.

First Day of the E-Waste Management Training

This is a picture showing the first day in class for the E-Waste Management Training Course at JICA Tokyo International Centre, Japan. My colleagues were busy preparing for the country report presentation and for the next few days, we will be in the Seminar Room 15 for our lectures. We have a very helpful program coordinator, Mr Yamaguchi san to sail us through.

I m in Japan, Tokyo

I am in Tokyo, Japan now for a training course on E-Waste Management. I will be staying in this tiny room at the JICA International Centre. Well, bigger than what I was told by some friends who have been here before. The ambiance is pretty good with Internet connection, shower, TV and etc.

I start enjoying here now and hope to maintain the spirit throughout.