Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Good reading books when you live in japan



I found two interesting books, one about food buying in japan, and the other one about kids in Japan.

A Guide to Food Buying in Japan by Carolyn R. Krouse
I recommend this book to foreigners who care about what they eat. This book has a lot of information about the food available in Japan with the japanese names and how to read them. The books axplains also how to read the labels on food. This is really a good reference for muslims living in Japan.









Japan for Kids: The Ultimate Guide for Parents and Their Children
by Diane Wiltshire and Jeanne Huey.

This is also a good reference for parents mainly if you live around Tokyo. The book contains many useful addresses.

Description
Every year, thousands of families visit or relocate to Japan. Fourteen years ago, Jeanne Huey and Diane Wiltshire made the crossing. Five children and six years later they wrote the first complete guide to entertaining and raising children in this fascinating but often baffling land. Now, eight years on they offer a fully updated version, with hundreds of new additions on:
  • AMUSEMENTS festivals, theme parks, cultural centers, zoos, aquariums
  • OUTINGS museums, beaches, parks, playgrounds, gardens
  • TRAVEL TIPS moving, coping with jet lag, getting around town, day trips
  • SHOPPING where to buy anything, from food to fashions to futons
  • HEALTH CARE dentists and doctors, pregnancy and childbirth, medical emergencies
  • EDUCATION daycare, international schools, the Japanese system, bilingualism
  • ACTIVITIES talent agencies, sports, Japanese traditions, and extracurricular classes
  • MAIL ORDER listings, catalogs, and the Internet...and much, much more Compact yet bulging with priceless information and hundreds of tips, the new Japan for Kids is essential reading for families heading for or living in this part of the Far East. From planetariums to petting zoos, educational materials to interactive museums, this handy reference book remains indispensable-a guide that no parent can go without.

Topvalue/Bestprice shokupan is Halal


Two muslim sisters who I know personally, asked Topvalue about the ingredients of the new Bestprice bread.
The ingredients of Bestprice shokupan from topvalue are from plants except of course the milk.
Here is the list of the ingredients in japanese:

小麦粉、砂糖混合ぶどう糖果糖液糖、マーガリン(大豆を含む)、イースト、食塩、砂糖、脱脂粉乳、発酵種(乳成分を含む)、乳化剤(乳成分を含む)、酢酸Na、イーストフード(小麦を含む)、香料(乳成分を含む)、ビタミンC、カロテノイド色素


And here is the email received by one of the two sisters:
> ------------------------------
------------------------
> ■お問合せ
> ------------------------------------------------------
> [ご用件] : 商品に関するお問合せ
> [商品コード] : Z0203-10-631-060
> [商品名] : 食パン
> ------------------------------------------------------
> ■ご連絡内容
> ------------------------------------------------------

> ------------------------------------------------------
XX XX様

こんにちは
カスミ あんあんnetの福田と申します。


先程は、お電話にてお話させていただきましたね。
ありがとうございます。

とても大切な確認ですので、
再度製造元に確認をいたしました。

「乳」「卵」(コンタミネーション含む)

以外に、動物性由来の原材料は
使用していないとの回答を頂きました。

こちらの商品は、
【ベストプライス BY トップバリュ】

の商品であり、

原材料ほかご不明な点がありましたら、

イオン トップバリュお客さまサービス係

0120-28-4196

(日曜日は除く・フリーコール:無料)

にて、ホン様が直接確認をとることができます。

商品を確認するために、
バーコード下の13桁数字を確認しますので、

【490181034 8985】

を係の方にお伝えいただければ、

ホン様がご不明な点を直接確認することが

できますので、

ぜひ、こちらもご利用してみてはいかがでしょうか。

ご不明な点などございましたら、
どうぞご遠慮なくお申し付けくださいませ。


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誠にありがとうございます。
お客様の貴重なご意見を参考にさせていただき、
より良いショップを目指していきます。

今後ともご指導の程、よろしくおねがいいたします


**************************************************
このメールは配信専用ですので、返信はできません
▼▼ご連絡・お問合せ等はこちらからどうぞ
http://netshop.kasumi.co.jp/shop/InquiryForm.aspx?fevrCnN7pYqUqFxuqY%2bU7w
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Thursday, August 6, 2009

Hiroshima marks 64th A-bomb anniversary


I was just watching NHK news on tv, they were talking about Hiroshima atomic bomb since today it is its 64 th anniversary. Old persons who witnessed Hiroshima atomic bomb were crying.
During the ceremony, a list of nearly 264,000 victims, as well as survivors who died this past year, was put into a cenotaph at the city's Peace Memorial Park. The participants observed a minute of silence at 8:15 AM, the time the bomb was dropped.

Many persons living far (arround 15 km) from were the bombing took place have cancer or some abnormalities in their chromosomes. Within 20 to 30 minutes after the bombing, a heavy black rain began falling in areas to the northwest. This rain contained large amounts of radioactive soot and dust, thus contaminating areas far from the hypocenter. People drunk water and ate vegetables from their gardens after the bombing, they did not know that every thing is contaminated.

I wish to see our world free from nuclear weapons and wars.
This is a documentary about Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Coop, a convenient way to have grocery delivered to your home

I f you have difficulties to find halal bread (since topvalue bread is no more halal), you can still order the bread from coop. Coop (or Co-op) is a Japanese Consumer Co-operative, the largest consumer union in Japan. For more information, this is their website in english: http://jccu.coop/eng/

Actually, I buy bread from Ibaraki coop, Ibaraki coop is an online shop where you can order food. It will be delivered to your home the next week following the day of the order. The name of the bread is (mainichi shokupan、 毎日食パン). You can find a photo of Coop bread with its ingredients here.

Note that the available products differ in each Coop. The bread may differ from one coop to another, the bread of some other coops may contain margarine. I buy bread from Ibaraki Coop, however you need to buy bread from coop near your house. So, please check if the bread is halal.

This is a list of all coops in japan:
After you enter the coop website of where you live, click on Co-op Deli link to go to the online shop website.
This is coop of niigata: http://niigata.coopnet.or.jp/index.php
Ibaraki coop: http://ibaraki.coopnet.or.jp/

You need first to join coop by registering using their website(in japanese): https://f.coopnet.or.jp/webapp/form/11881_zor_7/index.do?ref=9

Then a person will call you to take an appointment with you (japanese only). The person will come to your house and give you some papers to fill in, you need to give them your bank account number.

Once a week you can make an order (bread, butter roll and anything else you need), the items will be delivered to you the next week. Each week they will give you the catalog containing what they are selling and the order form. Each item in the catalog has a number, to order write the number of the desired item (for example the number of the butter rolls) on the order form with the quantity (how many do you want to take) and give it to the person of Coop the next week he will come to your house.

The shipping fees are not exceeding 200 yen. If you have a child under 3years old, the shipment will be free of charge.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

List of Halal breads in Japan

The following list contains some Halal bread brands available in Japan. Omitted from this list are breads that contain margarine, emulsifier, yeastfood or shortening of animal or unknown origin.

Remarks:

1. This list is given only as a hint, you have to check the ingredients by yourself and judge whether you consider it Halal or not.

2. The products’ ingredients may change at any time; make sure to check these regularly.

3. The list is not exhaustive.


Mainichi shokupan (毎日食パン) found in Ibaraki COOP is halal for the moment. Ibaraki coop is an online shop where you can order food. It will be delivered to your home the next week.

This is their website: http://ibaraki.coopnet.or.jp/











These is a phot of Mainichi shokupan bread and its ingredients .

Also, the breads available in the 99shops are free of margarine and shortening at this time