Things you need to bring when travelling to Japan

I thought may be it will be interesting for muslims who are coming to japan to know what things they should bring with them:

1. Medicines: bring with you all the medicines you need or may need (in case of flu, headache, ...). It is may be impossible here in Japan to find the same medicines that you use in your country. Medicines here are sold under doctor prescription. There are drug stores where you can buy drugs without doctor's prescription but when you are new and do not speak/read Japanese it is difficult to find what you are looking for. If you have a baby, it is better also to bring medicines against fever because doctors here refused to give drugs against fever for my baby .
2. Clothes: it is difficult for a Muslim woman to find suitable clothes for her (I mean long skirts, long jackets, scarves...). It is more difficult if you wear large sizes, most of clothes here are size S, M or L and sometimes LL. LL is considered a very large size here. The same thing goes for shoes.
3. Bring lace-less shoes or shoes you can easily slip on. You’ll be surprised to find how often you'll be taking them off.
4. If you have problem to speak English, bring with you a dictionary to translate from your language to English. But do not worry because Japaneses do not speak English well so you will need to talk in English occasionally.
5. It is difficult to find Halal vanilla and gelatin, so if you need them, bring them with you. Tahini and Nigella sativa (black seeds) are also difficult to find. I recommend also to bring dried herbs like Oregano, verbana, mint.
   
6. Bring some food with you if you do not know any muslim where you are going to live, it is difficult in the beginning to know which food is halal .
7. Bring with you your official papers (translated in English) like the driving license, original transcripts and degree, vaccination record for children....
8. Many institutes pay salaries at the end of the month, it’s important to bring quite a bit of cash.
   
9. Gifts: it is appreciated to give a gift for your professor.
   

Things you do not need to bring with you:

1. Electrical appliances like a hair dryer because you will face electrical compatibility problems. Japan operates on 100 volts. In addition, used appliances are very cheap here and can be found easily.

Once you are in Japan and realize that you need things for your new home like plates and spoons, batteries, pens..., you can buy them from 100yen shops, these shops sells things at 100 yen, very cheap when you are in Japan.

The suicide forest at Aokigahara on Mt Fuji

This is really a place to avoid, the forest of Aokigahara (青木ヶ原) , also known as the Sea of Trees (樹海, Jukai), is an old, dense and dark forest bordering Mount Fuji, so dense and thick that from just a few kilometers inside it no sounds can be heard other than those produced by the forest itself.

In 2002, 78 bodies were found within the forest, replacing the previous record of 73 in 1998. It is a popular place for suicides, due in some part to the novel Kuroi Jukai (Black Forest), which ends with the lovers of the novel committing suicide in the forest. The high rate of suicide has led officials to place signs within the forest, urging those who have gone there specifically with the purpose of suicide in mind to seek help and not kill themselves.

"The perfect place to die." That's how Aokigahara was described in Wataru Tsurumui's bestselling book The Complete Manual of Suicide. Aokigahara is famous throughout Japan as a popular spot for those taking their final journey. By May of 2006, at least 16 new suicides had already been found. More than a few of them were even carrying copies of Tsurumui's book. No one knows how many bodies go undiscovered.

Behind this, there is evidence to suggest that growing numbers of Japanese people are clinically depressed. Statistics from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry suggest that one in fifteen suffer from depression at some point in their lives.

Japanese society puts more pressure on individuals to show outward happiness and this may explain why depression is more likely to result in suicide in Japan; if depression is less acceptable, suicide might seem to be an easier option than seeking help.

There is also another factor helping the suicides, Internet. The Internet in Japan is a space where depression sufferers can find similar individuals and make arrangements to meet up and commit suicide as a group. The Aokigahara forest is one of the suicide hot spots.

I was really surprised to know this side of the japanese society, I was always thinking that they are the happiest people on earth, since they have almost everything to make them happy, peace, wealth and prosperity and not many crimes! Ok, it seems that I was wrong.

Free guided tour of Akihabara!

From “New Discovery of Akihabara” (website)

Free tour ”New Discovery of Akihabara” on every Saturday, will take you the places where is the most excited in Akihabara such as, pop culture ( Kotobukiya ,Tokyo Anime Center ) , electric town and duty free shop.

Period : Every Saturday
July 7, 2007~January 19, 2008
Tour guide language : English

Meeting place : 1st floor of Radio Kaikan
(30 seconds from the Akihabara Electric Town Exit )
Meeting time : 0:50PM
Departure time: 1:00 PM

Tour course
(please visit the New Discovery of Akihabara website for details):
*1 Radio Kaikan
*2 Electric Town / Shopping District
*3 Tsukumo Robot Kingdom
*4 Overseas model products
*5 Knowledge Field at UDX building
*6 Radio Kaikan (disband)
Fill out a questionnaire and disbands at Radio Kaikan.
( Gift will be given at the end of the tour.)

The tour takes approximately 2 hours.

* The tour course may change due to weather.
*Let us remind you that you may be interviewed by Japanese TV or newspapers due to strong popularity of the tour.

Halal Food Seminar for women in Tsukuba Mosque