Into A Secretive World Of Geisha.

I just finished reading the true story - Geisha Of Gion within few hours and I was super obsessed with Geisha while reading the book. A story about Mineko encounters Madam Oima, the formidable proprietress of a prolific geisha house in Gion.

Madam Oima is mesmerized by the child's black hair and black eyes and she felt she has found her successor. And so Mineko is gently prised away from her parents to embark on an extraordinary profession of which she will become the best. This book also tells of Mineko's ascendancy to fame and her ultimate decision to leave the profession she found so constricting.

Geisha of Gion written by Mineko Iwasaki & Rande Brown.

Captivating, poignant and a fascinating insight into a secretive world of geisha.

 The book also reminds me of the time when I was in Gion, Japan during last winter. 

While walking along Gion street, be mindful of incoming vehicles as the narrow street allows vehicles to squeeze through.

Hanami-koji is a street lined with beautiful old wooden buildings, tea houses and restaurants.

This is the heart of the Gion found in the tourist books.

Geisha lifestyle should be received with nothing but respect !

Having seen them on my last venture to Japan, I was keen to return next spring and see them again in Gion.

Gion is the main entertainment district in Kyoto.It had developed as a shrine town of Yasaka Shrine since the 17th century.

Map Of Gion

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Dirty Beaches - Money Cannot Buy Common Sense !

What happended to Langkawi Island ? The beaches has been completely transformed into dirty beaches and in terrible conditions during our last visit. There is litter and glass on the sand, plastic bags in the sea and no one dares to go in as they don't know what they will find!

Although Teluk Yu (Bay Of Sharks) is a beautiful and nice place, it could be even better if it was cleaner.

It's a catastrophe!

These photo was taken when we visited Teluk Yu, Langkawi (Bay Of Sharks) public beach on last week during Hari Raya holiday.Being a national public holiday, the beach was overcrowded with holidaymakers from all over the country resulting garbage is overflowing and there are even barbecue grills scattered all over the beach as well. I am very horrified to see what has taken place and in addition, wooden beach shelters,tiles and toilet were broken and filthy. A stupid mentality by the visitors and another evidence that money cannot buy common sense !!

Bay Of Sharks ( Teluk Yu) Monument.

Government spends quite a lot of money on beautification of the place and yet nobody really appreciated. You can't blame the Government for visitors throwing their rubbish everywhere in a society where no one cares about rubbish !!

I'm not an environmentalist but I'm an Earth warrior !

We have done our damage, we now have the power to undo and together, join hands and clean our beach for future generations. There is no more important issue we must focus on as humans! We must take action by now !

We want our beach to be beautiful and spotless!

We will definitely return here as we love the scenic view of  Thailand from Teluk Yu.

P/s : Special thanks to YB Dato Ir Nawawi Ahmad, Member Of Parliment Kuah, Langkawi who had been in communicating with me and local council to solve the above issue.

Fried Pomfret (シマガツオ科) In Chilli Sauce.

They say man makes delicious foods so the man cooks better than a woman !

But honestly, I think gender has nothing to do with who's cooking best or not but what matters is the skill and knowledge of the person. Classic example - my mother cooked better than my father ! For us in Asia, this is not an issue at all since its in the culture that woman cook and the man do the job for the family.

By the way, I love to cook and I consider myself really gifted with it.

These special menus (special request from my kids) are a perfect way to treat them and family.

 The Fish

• Cleaned and rinsed the Pomfret fish. Add in a little salt, tamarind powder and marinade the fish for 20 minutes. If the Pomfret is big or the flesh is thick, make sure to cut across the flesh till the bone so that it will cook faster.
• You may sprinkled cornflour (lightly dust) to the Pomfret (Optional).
• Deep fried the fish  in the wok for about 10-15 minutes and ensure not overcooked.
• Place the fried Pompret on large plate and get ready to cook the sauce.

The Sauce

• Heat the cooking oil.
• Add the garlic and ginger together (Wait till you smell the fragrant).
• Add in the sliced tomato,cucumber,chili and onion
• Add chili sauce together with lime juice.
• Stir-fry for few minutes.
• Now you may pour the chile sauce over the frieded Pompret and ready to serve with hot plain rice.  

By the way, this is the actual ingredients: 

• 1/2 kg Pomfret fish or Black Pomfret (シマガツオ科)
• 2 Tomoto (sliced)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 or 5 red chillis (to remove seeds)
• 2 cm ginger
• 1 small cucumber sliced
• 1 or 2 large onion (sliced)
• 2 pcs of lime (need the juice)
• Chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil

The Kappa Legend - Asian Horror.

I really love investigating the Asian legends and folklores. They make for good reading, if not for fantastic storytelling in my house by a loving father amusing his two daughter :) 

 Some well-known Japanese folktales and legends often involves humorous,bizarre characters or situations and also includes an assortment of supernatural beings -like these Kappa,  a water-based demon story.

The Kappa (Nothing to do with sportswear), from Japanese lore, is named after the famous river god, Kappa. They are the legendary creatures found in Japanese folklore and a creature known by every Japanese. Their scaly, reptilian skin ranges in color from green to yellow or blue.They been described  figure who is about two feet tall, covered with green, yellow, or blue scales from head to toe, and equipped with a tortoise shell on his back. Kappas supposedly inhabit the ponds and rivers of Japan and have various features to aid them in this environment, such as webbed hands and feet. They are sometimes said to smell like fish and they can certainly swim like them. In some tales, the Kappa is associated with theft, raping women and snatching little children into the water and drowning them.

There were a variety of stories attached to the kappa.They may even befriend human beings in exchange for gifts and offerings, especially cucumbers, the only food Kappa are known to enjoy more than human children. Japanese parents sometimes write the names of their children on cucumbers and toss them into waters believed to be infested with Kappa in order to mollify the creatures and allow the family to bathe. There is even a kind of cucumber-filled sushi roll named for the Kappa, the kappamaki.

As water monsters, kappa have been frequently blamed for drownings, and are often said to try to lure people to the water and pull them in with their great skill at wrestling. They are sometimes said to take their victims for the purpose of eating their livers or their shirikodama , a mythical ball inside the anus. There is a known phenomena that when a person dies a drowning death, their anus will often swell. The Japanese explained this as being caused the kappa.Even today, signs warning about kappa appear by bodies of water in some Japanese towns and villages. .

While modern Japanese people think that Kappa was the old legend, it could be that the Giant Japanese Salamander sometimes be mistaken as the mythical Kappa ?

Reference & Images: Google & Wikipedia

Langkawi Tukun Batik : Langkawi Best Kept Secret !

Catch-Em-All in Langkawi Island,Malaysia !

 From tarpoon,bonito,barracuda and all major gamefish.

I took this pictures one morning while half way heading out to my favorite fishing spot - Tukun Batik in Langkawi,  home to some excellent deep sea fishing.The journey by fishing boat is about 4 hours but you may be rewarded with the sighting of whale sharks, manta rays and dolphins !

A species infamous for having a set of jaws that put a crocodiles to shame!
Barracuda usually patrol the outer edges of some reefs and there are a few larger lone specimens too.I got 22 barracuda within half and hour jigging !!

Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition  that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.

Naomi's First Video - Tokyo Disneyland Night Parade!

Well..well..well ! Despite her success in her chosen field (Hotelier) , Naomi saw her true calling in videography. She make her debut as a "director"  in this short video during our previous visit to Tokyo.Not bad, huh !  



Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition  that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.

Temenggor Lake - Killer Fish in Malaysian Lake?

The middle range of Titiwangsa mountains is thought by many to be the greatest fishing grounds God ever created on earth.The scenery is gorgeous,so dont forget to take along your camera.View the river and waterfall flows that have poured these areas for thousand of years and you'll suddenly realize why it felt like you had landed on the "Indiana Jones" jungle area.Temenggor Lake is growing but this lake hasn't suffered from the urban sprawl of many cities nearby.

Do have full commitment to fishing over here.It simply needs to be witnessed to be experienced. By the way, Temenggor Lake also well known as the home to the giant killer fish - The "Snakehead" - Toman !!!!

8kg Snakehead.

Toman - Large in personality as well as physique. Described as "alien monsters" "the stuff of nightmares" and "something from a bad horror movie", they are said to eat human flesh and attack without provocation - "Jaws" for the new millennium !

Another Toman.

These fish proved to be the greatest predator in Temenggor Lake.In Florida (USA), they attack humans and pets as worse as crocodiles !

I'm planning on going back to Japan for another fishing trip with my Oto san early next year. I'm hopeful that I can enter a new fishing territory in more ways than one. Searching for the river monsters there are like no others anyone ever had encountered - from the devastating "Namazu," which Japanese legend says causes earthquakes, to a child-snatching killer called the "Kappa."  You should visit Japan to find out, uncover the truth behind these legends and the reality behind these horrific tale.

I will keep you posted once I am there :)

(Google Image)

The Japanese legend of “Namazu”- (Or Ōnamazu) is a giant catfish who causes earthquakes.He lives in the mud beneath the earth, and is guarded by the god Kashima who restrains the catfish with a stone. When Kashima lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes.

Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition  that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.

Thank You AirAsia !

Promosi Terbaru AirAsia

Alhamdulillah ! Akhirnya , AirAsia X mengumumkan penerbangan masuk ke Osaka,Jepun 4 kali seminggu mulai 30th November 2011. Ini adalah merupakan laluan ke 16 AirAsia X selain ke UK,Australia,Taiwan,China,Iran,France, New Zealand, India dan Tokyo. Lebih mengembirakan lagi apabila diumumkan yang pesawat AirAsia ini dibenarkan mendarat di lapangan terbang Kansai dan ini bermaksud saya hanya memerlukan satu jam perjalanan untuk sampai ke rumah di Kyoto!

Terima Kasih Tan Sri Tony Fernandes - CEO AirAsia Berhad ! Saya kini tidak perlu lagi membazirkan duit tiket penerbangan saya yang kadang-kadang mencecah RM10,000 untuk pulang ke Kyoto kerana AirAsia menawarkan harga serendah RM4,200 ( dua hala) untuk kami sekeluarga.

 Odaiba City,Tokyo Japan 

Naomi impikan penerbangan terus dari Kuala Lumpur ke Haneda,Tokyo sebelum mengambil "Shinkasen" menuju pulang ke Kyoto. Besar kemungkinan kami memilih penerbangan pulang dari Kansai ke Kuala Lumpur !

Odaiba City,Tokyo Japan 

Buat One Chan dan Oni San , kami sekeluarga amat rindukan anda berdua. Tunggulah kepulangan kami semula pada pertengahan bulan March nanti atau pun penghujung tahun hadapan.

Hiroshima Genbaku Dome ( Google image)

Errrr.....dan saya dan Naomi bercita cita untuk sampai ke Hiroshima tahun depan :) !

The Day After Trinity: The Clock Stopped At 11:02 AM

"I have decided to reposting this entry (previously in my Samuraiblues.com blog) and dedicate to the memory of those who perished when atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki half a century ago. May all the souls rest in peace".

August 9, 1945- At 9:44 a.m., "Bockscar", a B-29 Superfortress bomber carrying "Fat Man", the world’s third atomic bomb, arrives at its primary target, Kokura. The city is covered in haze and smoke from an American bombing raid on a nearby city. "Bockscar" turns to its secondary target Nagasaki. At 11:02 a.m. the world’s third atomic bomb explosion devastates Nagasaki, the intense heat and blast indiscriminately slaughters its inhabitants. President Truman speaks to the American people via radio broadcast. He states: 

"The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, a military base. That was because we wished in the first instance to avoid, in so far as possible, the killing of civilians.Hiroshima and Nagasaki were chosen as targets because of their concentration of activities and population."  More than 95 percent of those killed at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were civilians and Soviet Union begins its offensive against Japan in Manchuria.

The clock stopped at 11:02 a.m., the moment the world's third atomic bomb, "Fat Man" is detonated above Nagasaki, Japan.

August 10,1945.The U.S. drops warning leaflets on Nagasaki on the day after the bombing.

August 13 - 14, 1945.Japanese physicists, investigating the epicenter of the Hiroshima bomb burst, start noticing high levels of radioactivity.

August 14,1945. Japan surrenders.
 
August 15,1945.Emperor Hirohito of Japan, in a radio broadcast to his nation, announces that Japan has lost the war. The Emperor’s announcement is hard to understand because he speaks in archaic court Japanese, but one fact is understood:

"Moreover, the enemy has begun to employ a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which to damage is indeed incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives." The New York Times reports, "Russia’s entry into the Japanese war was the decisive factor in speeding its end and would have been so, even if no atomic bombs had been dropped, is the opinion of Major-General Claire Chennault .."

September 2,1945. Japan formally signs documents of surrender.

Nagasaki - 66 years after the bombing

Souces:Nuclearfile.com
Images - Full Credit to Yahoo & Google images.

Langkawi Dark & Demonic Tales Of Gua Langsuir (Cave Of The Banshee)

Gua Langsuir , "Cave of the Sirens."or "Cave of the Banshee" - A famous cave on the island of Langkawi -Malaysia. It overlooks a narrow sea channel between the island and the main island of Langkawi. The channel provides the easiest access to the open sea for fishermen.

Gua Langsuir - One can easily reach here by hiring speedboats from Kuah Jetty.

According to folklores,a long time ago the cave was inhabited by three hideous female demons or Langsuir (from malay folklores, Langsuir is one of the most feared and deadliest of all banshees). It was believed that woman who died giving birth to their child, who also dies, will become a " Langsuir" after 40 days. She is described as being hideous with red piercing eyes, sharp and long claws, very long hair, a decayed face, and huge fangs. She is able to fly and is most often seen wearing a green or white robe.They also had the ability to assume the form of the most beautiful women, and would sing and behave in a provocative way whenever sailors of fishermen passed before them. The men would be so enchanted by them that they lost control and jumped into the roaring sea in order to swim to them. Most of the men drowned and those who succeeded in going up to the cliff to be with the sirens would be tortured to a slow and painful death, later to be devoured. So the people wisely stayed away and the sirens were not getting any more victims and grew bored.

 

One day, a lone fisherman who was both deaf and short-sighted rowed out in his boat towards the sea. He passed the cave of the sirens without noticing them. He was fishing and managed to catch a lot of fish in this area, which was understandable since all other fishermen avoided the place. The sirens were overjoyed for at last they would have another victim. They went out of their cave, positioned themselves on the cliff in front, and started to sing. The fisherman, unable to see or hear them, went about his business. At first this surprised the sirens since they never experienced this before and no one could resist their charm. Then surprise became disappointment, thinking they had lost their charm, and surprise turned into fear. They were afraid men would climb the cliff to ravish them, or that the relatives of their victims would have their revenge on them. In their fear and confusion, the flew away from the cave never to return.

 

The men of Langkawi never knew who had saved them. And the deaf and short sighted fisherman was unaware of his meritorious services to the people of Langkawi.

Langsuir - A female vampiric ghost in Malay folklore, who can
change into a cricket or grasshopper. She flew through the night and would be heard wailing from the trees in the forest or uninhabited island.  (Images credit to Google)

 

I don't know if the legend is true or not but dont forget to visit Gua Langsuir once you are in Langkawi. However, This cave is recommended only for serious cavers with mountain climbing experience as the ascent to the cave demands great climbing skill and absolute physical fitness.

Crossing the Cave of Banshee requires walking & some wading. Some times of year the water is waist-deep !

Reference - www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gua_langsuir.html

Langkawi Island : The Healing Power Of Gamat (Sea Cucumber) Soap !

According to a popular version of the folktales, a fisherman named Gamat discovered the healing properties of gamat (sea cucumber) by chance more than 300 years ago.The fisherman discovered the strange looking sea creature when he was washed to a coral reef after his boat sank.Clinging to a wooden plank, Gamat drifted in the sea for a long time before reaching the reef.

The sharp edges of the coral further bruised his battered body. Gamat then saw this weird sea creature, caught it and ate it raw as he was very hungry. Then, he rubbed the fluid oozing from the creature onto his wounds.Miraculously his wounds healed fast - leaving no signs at all on his body. After been completely healed and got his energy restored, Gamat swam back to the shore.His survival stories spread like wildfire throughout the island. Since then, Langkawi folks have been taking gamat for healing wounds and restoring energy.

Sea Cucumber Soap Nicely Wrapped With Batik Cloth.

Gamat in Malay means sea cucumber. In wikipedia - it refers to medicinal remedies made from any of several species of the animal. The golden sea cucumber (Stichopus horrens) is commonly used. Gamat is usually the dried, powdered bodies of sea cucumbers made into a lotion or other topical salve. It is sometimes mixed into clay and applied as a facial mask, or put in tea and consumed for stomach complaints. The local people believe that a solution of sea cucumbers can heal cuts, skin eruptions, and ulcers, and claim that it has a beneficial effect on the immune system. It is also good to cure black spots, pimples,oily face,freckles and itchiness of your skin. 

Gaya Minami's Gamat Soap Contain A Natural Ingredient That Moisturizes Your Skin. 

Langkawi people have long believed that sea cucumber has wonderful healing powers.There are many version of stories on how was discovered.By the way, these sea Cucumber is not a cucumber at all; it is a marine life that is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals and yet another gift to our good health from the sea.

 

(Image credit to Google)

Should you visit Langkawi Island, dont forget to bring back this magical soap together with with other gift. You can easily buy this gamat soap available at Gaya Minami Handicrafts located at Pantai Tengah (See map attached) or you may visit their website at http://www.gayaminami-langkawi.com/ for further info.

See you soon in Langkawi !

20th August - Happy Bithday Nana Chan !

So many wishes
So many smiles
Too many memories
Too few words
With one big Birthday
Happy Birthday Nana-chan !

Masuk Hutan Keluar Hutan: Perjuangan Yang Belum Selesai !

Saya tidak pernah menyesal meninggalkan tanah besar dan berhijrah ke Pulau Langkawi semenjak 15 tahun yang lalu.Bagi saya, suasana di sini amat nyaman, hutan hujannya masih subur menghijau dan banyak puncak puncak bukit disini mempunyai pemandangan yang amat menakjubkan.  Subhanallah !

Explorasi ke hutan Gunung Mat Chincang sekali lagi membuktikan yang ianya masih berpotensi besar untuk menjadi Taman Hidupan Liar di Langkawi.Ini kerana hutan hujan ini masih terdapat burung burung, haiwan hutan serta serangga eksotik pelbagai warna dan rupa yang ditemui sepanjang ekspidisi tengah hari tadi. 

Berbagai pohon pohon besar bersaiz balak juga tumbuh subur di hutan ini dan sesetengah flora di gunung ini yang mempunyai nilai perubatan yang amat tinggi. Contoh terbaik- pokok Tongkat Ali !

Pendek kata, "product" sudah ada, hanya menunggu agensi tempatan yang berminat saja untuk membuat promosi. Tetapi janganlah sampai kawasan hutan hujan tersebut terlalu "dicommersialisedkan" dan berkemungkinan menjejaskan alam sekitar Pulau Langkawi.Sebagai contoh, bilangan pelawat harus dihadkan supaya tidak mengganggu dan merosakkan alam sekitar. Cuba tengok apa sudah jadi dengan Pulau Payar akibat kegagalan memantau bilangan pelancong yang berlebihan masuk?

 Punah ranah akhirnya.

Pesanan saya, pemantauan berterusan diperlukan di kawasan ini untuk mengelakkan pihak-pihak tertentu menyeludup keluar hasil eksotik hutan seperti pelanduk, napoh dan ayam hutan ataupun pepohon balak untuk tembolok taukeh-taukeh besar. Puak puak yang mencuri hasil hutan ini tidak memahami nilai sebenar hutan. Bagi mereka, hasil hari ini adalah lebih penting dari hari kemudian. Mereka terlupa apa yang orang putih pernah berkata "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better".

Diharap rayuan saya ini mendapat kerjasama kerajaan negeri dan sokongan anda semua yang masih menghargai pemberian Allah amatlah dihargai. Bukannya apa, semoga generasi masa depan dapat menikmati keindahan alam hasil perjuangan pejuang hari ini  :-)

Amin !

P/S:  The above is free from any political mileage.Hanya pendapat jujur tuan empunya blog. 

Interested parties are welcomed to reproduce or quote materials published in this blog with the condition  that they are credited to http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/ to avoid misunderstanding.Thank you.

Hiroshima: Bridge to Forgiveness - Bacaan Terbaik Buat Semua !

Buku karangan Takashi Tanemori berjudul Hiroshima: Bridge To Forgiveness adalah bacaan terbaik yang pernah saya baca untuk tahun 2011. Buku yang berbaur dengan perasaan benci dan sayang ini adalah kisah benar dan memoir penulis sendiri yang menyaksikan kezaliman tentera bersekutu mengebom bandar Hiroshima pada bulan Ogos tahun 1945. Akibat serangan dasyat tersebut, Takashi kehilangan ibu bapa serta 2 lagi adik beradik dan beliau sendiri menjadi yatim piatu. Diceritakan juga disini kisah penulis yang terpaksa hidup sendirian dijalanan sehingga berumur 18 tahun dimana beliau bertekad untuk ke bumi Amerika untuk membalas dendam !
 (Anda boleh membaca kisah post serangan keatas Hiroshima oleh saya disini : http://hasnulyakin.blogspot.com/2011/04/re-issue-surat-terbuka-buat-president.html

Buku ini juga menjelaskan bagaimana penulis mengharungi hidup yang tertekan akibat radiasi bom atom sewaktu beliau berumur 8 tahun sehingga ke hari ini.  

Sebuah buku "spiritual" yang harus dibaca !