Deer in Nara

Konichiwa.... Yokoso Japan!

Deer are everywhere in Nara, Japan. You can almost see them immediately the moment you reach Nara prefecture. You can see them the most at Nara Park and at Todai-Ji (Temple).

According to Nara locals' story, Deer from this area were considered sacred due to a visit from one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine, Takenomikazuchi-no-mikoto. It was said the god appeared on Mt. Mikasa-yama riding a white deer. From that point, the deer were considered divine and sacred, protecting the city.

Now the Deer in Nara are considered as national Treasures and are protected by the local government. So now the deer roam around the town, especially in Nara Park. Snack vendors sell "Shika Sembei" or Deer Biscuits to visitors so they can feed the deer. But be careful not to have any papers around you, the Deer tend to take a bite on it.

This Deer is waiting for someone to feed it

Photos Courtesy of Forest Han Photography
www.foresthantravel.blogspot.com

Have a cup of Flavoured Ice in Japan

Feeling hot during Summer time in Japan? Get yourself a cup of flavoured Ice to cool yourself down. In Japan this is called "Kakigori", the Japanese version of a Snow Cone except in a cup and you eat it with a spoon. Kakigori comes in different flavoured such as Green Tea, Grape, Blueberry, Peach, Lemon, Cherry and so on. It is also popular to add sweetened condensed milk to it or sometimes red beans, fruits or Mochi to enhance the taste.

Kakigori can be found almost anywhere in Japan during the summer time. Street vendors selling it are usually around especially during a festivals, at the train stations, a street fairs and other popular places where a lot of people gather or visit. So if you are visiting Japan in the Summer time make sure you try one Kakigori, it's cool & delicious :-)

Panorama view of Tokyo City

This photo is taken from The Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo.

Taxi in Japan

Taxi can be found everywhere in Japan. It is one of the common transportation use there. It may be expensive to ride one if you are going on a long journey, but to go around fast in the city it can be convenience especially late at night when all the other public transportation shut down. 

In Japan smaller cities, Taxi are more often use than the other public transportation and it can help you save time instead of waiting for a bus. Taxi fares typically start around 600-700 YEN for the first two kilometers and increase about 100 yen for every additional 500 meters traveled. The cost is also counted when the taxi is not moving for a prolonged time. Late in the evening the rates are raised by around 20 percent. I'm sure this is the same with other countries. Traveling in a group of four is advise to reduce the fare when it's break down to a person. Oh ya, you can pay the Taxi fare with a credit card, just ask the Taxi driver before you enter.

In Japan the Taxi's left rear door is opened and closed remotely by the Taxi driver. You do not need to open or close the door. For a foreigner who can't speak Japanese well, communication with the Taxi driver can be a problem. Taxi drivers there don't really know how to speak English. So it is advice to give your driver the address of your destination on a piece of paper or point it out on a map, or have the telephone no. of the place you are going for the Taxi driver. Sometimes places in Japan can be confusing even for a Japanese.   

Visit here to learn some  Japanese language for calling a Taxi

 http://japanese-phrases.sakura.ne.jp/page11j.html

A typical Japanese Taxi GPS Device

Japan Postcards

Want to get a souvenir in Japan for your friends? Get them a nice Japan postcard. 

You can collect the entire postcards from places you visit in Japan. It can be fun and interesting searching and browsing for a nice Japanese postcard. You can get Japanese Postcards at almost anywhere in Japan. In souvenir shops, book shops, department store, temples, shrines, subways and even on some shops on the streets of Japan. There are also free postcards you can collect from hotels and sometimes from restaurants. 

Japanese postcards can be a good collection from your trip to Japan. For example in Kyoto you can buy unique postcards of Maiko & Geisha for collection (you can see some above). Japanese postcards are not that expensive, and the photo printing quality is very good. One thing you can do when you are in Japan is you can buy a nice Japanese postcard, and then mail it to your friends or even to yourself for fun. Try it :-)

Big G-Shock Watch

Can you spot the G-Shock watch below?

Casio G-Shock Watch is one of the most popular watch in the world. It's common to see Outdoor enthusiastic, Travelers, Athletes, Photographers, Campers and even the Army to have a G-Shock watch on their wrist. It is one of the toughest watch around.

If you ever visit Ginza, Japan i'm sure you ever saw this big G-Shock watch on top of the building. If you have not seen it then try to look for it when you visit Ginza, but i'm not sure if it's still there :-)

Ganbatte to all the Children of Japan :-)

A project done by Cikgu Lim Han with his Year 5 students in his school in the Brunei Water Village (Kampung Ayer). His students is sending their caring messages to all the Children of Japan working hard recovering from last year tragic incident of Tsunami, Earthquake and Nuclear crisis. Ganbatte to all the Children :-)

#If you have similar project please do share with us at our Facebook page, thanks.