Japanese hate iPhone

So I recently stumbled upon the article on'Why the Japanese hate the iPhone'.

Source:http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/02/why-the-iphone/

Some of you must be thinking, what the heck??? Many of us are cracking our heads to get one, while it becomes so cheap in Japan, some even for free (bond to a contract).

And what's more agitating is that:

Cellphones are also more of a fashion accessory in Japan than in the United States, according to Daiji Hirata, chief financial officer of News2u Corporation and creator of Japan’s first wireless LAN, who spoke to Wired.com in June 2008.

So that would suggest that in Japan, carrying around an iPhone — a nearly year-old handset compared to the very latest Japanese cellphones — could make you look pretty lame.

It came no surprise to me after witnessing some of the high-end phones in Japan, which are way more 'canggih' than I could have imagined it, as a phone.

Japanese phones have all it takes to become a superior phone, you know I'm not joking right?

Let me show you my point.

Appealing designs and colours.

(Source:http://www.itechnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/softbank-sharp-dm002sh-disney-cinderella-phone.jpg)

Phone that provides an 8 Megapixel camera.


Not to mention the chips inserted into some phones to be used as debit cards and train passes.

(Source:Credit to:http://analytica1st.com/analytica1st/img/mobile_suica.jpg)

From what I learnt during my Japan trip, Japanese are fond of clamshell phones (flip phones) than flat phones since flipping the phone is one of the Japanese girls' hobbies from what I see. Seriously, I've seen them flipping,closing, then flip again, close again on the train (Densha) eventhough the phone is not vibrating or ringing, so I assume they must be liking this action in order to do it so frequently.

I can even understand why 90% of them don't use MSN or e-mail, that's because phone is their everything, without phone they are nothing.Let alone the texting and calling services, Japanese use their phones to watch TV, online, read novel,pay for subway fares,buy from convenient store.

PHONE IS REALLY THEIR EVERYTHING.

I have used a Japanese phone before, and I pretty much understand how impressive the phone is, with the high-end colour display, super clear camera even if it's just a 3.2 Megapixel phone, and not to mention its design and colour.It makes you feel good about what you have, and can't stop flipping the phone like the Japanese girls do.(=P Opps)

Okay I'm exaggerating on that, but that's how amazing their phones are.

Also,there's one thing that keeps me wondering is that,

How come the Japanese phone makers can come up with a phone with so many unique colours while the other makers can't?


(Source:http://www.cameraphonesplaza.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sony-ericsson-s001-another-cell-phone-for-japan-03.jpg)

Why though?

But with all these already-advanced-mobile-phones-technologies,really, who needs an iPhone in Japan?

I wouldn't need one.

Opps.Forgot to mention, if I were in Japan.

My Incredible 8 hours in Japan.

Before reaching Vancouver, I had a transit in Japan for 10 hours, which meant to be walking around the city for 8 hours, leaving the remaining 2 hours for the on board preparation.

When I reached the Kansai Airport, I put my hand carry at a storage rental, it was priced 700 yen per day for 2 small luggages.

After that,I went to the Tourist Information center to sign up for a short trip in Sakai,Osaka before I'm off to the next flight. I bought package A,which was a map-based walking tour at the price of 1600 yen ( about RM 50+). It's altogether 9 destinations on the map, and there are all within walking distance and not too far from each other, finish visiting the 9 points will lead me the way back to the Sakai station, in which I'll take a 37 minutes train ride back to the airport.

The receptionist briefed me on the walking tour before I proceeded to the ticket collection.

There I started my incredible cultural tour on foot, without knowing the way and using my limited Japanese proficiency to ask about it.Just with a map and train timetables.

Map of the day.






It was my first time having this kind of experience, to have no one to guide me throughout the trip, and my schedule was very flexible and manipulative.



It was a Friday morning, and the street seemed to be rather quiet, a huge contrast to the lifestyle in Tokyo. Everyone was walking so fast in Tokyo that I never walked slow when I was in Tokyo, I know this was the speed I had to follow.

Sugawara Shrine,菅原神社







Japanese have a habit of writing down their wish or prayer on a wooden tablet (Ema,絵馬 in Japanese), and hang it at the shrine.

Just like the Chinese, they have Omikuji where some random fortunes are written on the paper. The Omikuji predicts a person's future and whether his hope will come true in any matter. The bearer keeps the Omikuji if it turns out to be a good fortune, or else he/she will tie it onto a string ( or a pine tree) in the temple ground when the prediction is bad.


I left the Shrine after 15 minutes and headed to another temple, the Honganji temple.

Honganji temple,本願寺堺别院







Continue walking for about 10 minutes, I reached another temple, Myokokuji temple.

Myokokuji Temple,妙国寺







There was no one collecting the entrance ticket. I just went in and had a brief look at it, I felt awkward, as though I was an intruder, but with an entrance ticket.

Walk, walk, walk and walk, and I found the Sakai Knife Museum.









I'm quite attracted to the wide variety of knives showed in the Museum, those that I barely see in life- Those knives used for cutting Japanese food like,sushi,soba,kashi,beef and even whale.=O
(The knife used to fillet the whale is the longest and biggest one in the first picture.)


Yaki Soba Teshoku

On my way to these tourist spots, I did some shopping whenever I see a supermarket ,pharmacy (the Kusuri store), or shopping malls as I did not have adequate time to do them separately on a shopping tour. This was why my walking tour was dragged to 7 hours instead of the required time of 4 hours for the trip alone.



Besides that, I had some hard time finding the way to some of the hot spots and it took me round and round before I could reach. To worsen the problem, I lost my way back to the Sakai station that it procrastinated my train time, it took me 90 minutes to go back ,far more than the estimated time. By time I reached the airport, checked in and picked up my hand luggages, it was already 5p.m( My flight was at 5.25p.m).
So...so.... I ran all the way madly for a few hours.

This was why I called it an incredible and shocking journey, also my first time traveling alone, really alone.

A letter from Japan

Yesterday, I spotted something unusual on the table of living room. Moving a few steps closer, I saw a Japanese postal stamp glued on the right hand corner of the envelope.

At first thought, I assumed it was from my hostel family .


However, I was proven wrong later while I read through the sender's details.The letter was posted from Kansai, Yui's place. Yui, the Japanese youth exchange participant I served 2 years back actually sent us a letter as a token of appreciation for our hospitality throughout her entire stay.

There was one moment where I started reminiscing those good times we had with Yui while touring KL and other hot spots with her. It was really exciting as I was the daily translator between my family and Yui. My sister even teased me on my Japanese language competence whenever she sees Yui's face expression reacting to my Japanese

Much had happened the 2 weeks she was in my house. I'm touched to the fact that she remembers this experience and politely claims that it was one of her best times in life. She had her first time traveling overseas and I had my first time making a Japanese friend, a mutual connection we have for each other.

Ahhh... seems like my wish list has been added with one more desire, I'm gonna save more money in future to tour around for my distant friends. Japan, is still one of my favourite countries, and Japanese, is the community I'm impressed on its culture's diversity,let alone the vibrance of the city.

Friendship can be bonded as pure and simple like this. We don't stay with each other regularly, but it's the path we once went through that steal our emotions for every of our reminiscent on them.

Thank you for your letter, Yui !

Youth Exchange Programme

I've heard about this programme since 2 years ago through my sister,sharing some experiences with me on her friend's vacation in Japan.=) It made me urge to give it a try despite I wasn't a Leo member.What I was waiting was my 16th birthday,because that was the lowest eligilibity they required on the applicant's age.In 2006,I finally got the chance to apply for this programme,and I thought my dream would be very near from me since then.Well,I was just a little underestimated on the process.We are required to do a medical check up,a witness,parent's signature and approval for being a host family,an descriptive essay on my education and hobby,signature from the Lion President and many other mere details of my own.To make matter worst,I only had a week to go through all these processes.I believe that I would have done it better if I discovered this earlier.
Firstly,I filled the form at home.It wasn't hard,but I needed to write the same thing for numerous times,as we are required to fill up the same form for 3 times,3 forms each ,and that did not included the host family form.All together we had 6forms.The second day I went to do medical check up with my sister.=) Luckily for us,urine test was not part of check up.The following few days we went to develop family photos as well as passport photo to paste on each and every form they had given.Such busy life had lasted for 6 days.And I thought it was a great relief when I passed the form to the person in charge on my own.nyek nyek nyek......things did not go well as what I thought.
My sister had received a call from the Lion Club immediately on the third day after we passed the forms.informing us to collect our forms from the main office to get the signature from the Lion president of P.J.hmm...I was really worried as I did not know who to turn to.Where do I get his contact number?Would he sign for me?I was so not going to go for the programme.....Do I still stand a chance??After asking all around from my friends,I got to know his contact number from Pei Ji,who's Chi Kheng's friend in TS.I was fear enough to hold the telephone and key in his number.Well,I had to do this because that was my only chance.To my suprise,he's actually a doctor.We decided to meet up in the hospital he works,to have a brief on it and to get his signature..........and there the story begins...
It was a Thursday,we went to his hospital at around 2.30p.m. as promised.I'm just unfortunate enough on that day,because he had a emergency operation to handle right on the moment we went.So we were told to wait for an hour for him.We couldn't do anything but just to sit on the sofa and looking at the clock desperately.How I wished the time will pass faster...and going faster!!!In stead of 3.30,we waited until 4 O'clock and finally the nurse approched us to inform us to go down to the operation room ,....to meet him up.I had forgotten all my fear,I just wanted to go home quickly atthat moment.=) Things went extremely good after that,he just signed for us without any questions asked.We got his signature after waiting for 1 and 1/2 hour,was that worth it?Atleast I tried my best to complete the form.
I'm really doubtful whether I would make my dreams come true.However,this is what you will go through if you do things last minute,perhaps it would be better if the period of time is 1 month...way way better in fact!!!It was a little tiring to compress all these within a week,maybe just worth for a trying.Haha,I wouldn't have tried this for the second time if I failed for this time probably.And now I'm waiting for the good news to come to me,perhaps a bad one!!=) I can hear myself say...Japan in December,Japan,Japan!!!A little dreamy though....

Anyway,I went to this " project superstar" last Sunday with my friends to accompany her.Hmm,I didn't really know the contestants well actually,just one or two whose idols of my friends.Here's some pictures taken with the contestants.....their names??hehehehe....that's too tough for me!!Hakuna matata,and I see the sun again today!!





This is Gary,one of the hosts of 8TV.


This is Wee(Terrence),Chui man's fav!!


=) The end,enjoy!!