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

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/

This is a list of all coops in japan:

• コープとうきょう (tokyo)
  
• さいたまコープ (saitama)
  
• ちばコープ (chiba)
  
• いばらきコープ (ibaraki)
  
• とちぎコープ (tochigi)
  
• コープながの (nagano)
  
• コープぐんま (gunma)
  
• コープにいがた (niigata)
  
• コープネット事業連合 (official website of coop)
  

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.

Oishii shokupan by Seven eleven (おいしい食パン）

It is sold at Seven Eleven convenience stores.
This bread contains margarine. Some of my friends (we live in Tsukuba) asked about the margarine, it is from plants. But each factory of bread of 7/11 uses its own ingredients. To be sure you need to call 7/11 factory bread in your area.

Homemade flan

If you miss your favorite flan because you cannot find Halal flan in Japan, you can make it at home. The recipe is very easy and the result is almost similar to the flan you can find in shops.

The recipe:
400 ml warm milk (the milk has already been boiled)
1 egg yolk
3 (or as you want) table spoon of sugar
4 table spoon of cocoa powder (or use halal vanilla if you want )
1 tea spoon agar-agar

Mix every thing together, put in a saucepan on a medium heat. Keep stiring until you see the mixture rising. Remove from heat. Pour into individual ramquins and put them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

That is all!!!

Fares and time table of Japanese trains

Salam, I am back again.

It is summer, time for trips. If you are planning to take trains, there is a very useful website called Hyperdia which is a search engine that allows you to do specific point-to-point rail searches for travel in Japan. It covers virtually all train services in Japan. It allows you to know, for each course proposed, the time required, the distance (km) and the total amount of money.

The english version : http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

The japanese version : http://www.hyperdia.com

Have a nice trip!