From the Morning Sun

TIA, it means Tochigi International Association. Every year, Tochigi makes welcome party for foreigner that live in Tochigi. That call Welcome to Tochigi. TIA  introduce about Japanese culture, Japanese food, Tochigi famous place and about everything, how living in Japan. With TIA, I join twice in Welcome to Tochigi. In welcome to Tochigi, we went to Begonia Garden. Begonia Garden, have so many flowers and colorfull in green house.

After went to Begonia Garden, we go to Kamakura. In Kamakura has ice festival, it held in winter. In Kamakura festival have many igloos. In igloo, we can eat and drink. It is interesting, eat and drink with snow falldown in outside.

After went to Kamakura, we pick strawbery and eat that.

Another year with TIA, we go to pickeld store. In that store we see and do how to make pickeld. Pickeld make from garlic, cucumber, mushroom and another vegetables.  

Do you know Hotaru Yube? Hotaru is means fire fly. Yube is means yuugata in Japanese language and evening in English. Between spring and summer, some places make fire fly festival. In festival, we can see fire fly in place like garden or rice field. Before we see fire fly, we see Japanese attraction, like Japanese song, Japanese dance and Japanese drama. The attraction start from 4 o clock in the evening, and after finished attraction, we can see fire fly at 8 o clock.

Origami is very famous hand craft from Japan. Origami is hand craft for hold paper with high technic and accuration. From this craft can make animal, flower, doll and everything . Origami paper from washi (Japanese paper) or folding color papper.

Do you know japanese policemen very strict, especially with foreigner? I think maybe many foreigners come to Japan. In Japan, many foreigner make accident and some foreigners make overstay. Then makes japanese policemen very strict. In Japan, Internasional Driving Licence from Indonesia (makes from Ikatan Motor Indonesia) can use in Japan only 1 year. More than 1 year, if you make again, it means illegal. You must make Japanese Driving Licence if you stay more than 1 year in Japan. 

Utsunomiya is second most accident in Japan after Hokaido.It isnot easy if we want to get Japanese driving Licence in Utsunomiya. In Utsunomiya, have 2 type for testing, writing test and driving test. Maybe writing test you can pass only 1 time, but driving test normally take until 10 times. If you arenot lucky, maybe you can take driving test more than 10 times. Maybe only American foreigner and Korean foreigner take driving test only 1 time. I think betwen Japan, America and Korea make aggreement about that. Another city except Hokaido and Utsunomiya, test for Japanese Driving Licence isnot strict.   

In Japan, garbage disposal is very important. You must know when　ｔhrow garbage, because different type garbage you must seperate. In Japan has three type garbage, recycle garbage, unrecycle garbage and burnable garbage. Recycle garbage likes book, paper, can, bottle or cloth(if its good), unrecycle garbage likes vas, battery, kitchen equipment, umbrella etc, and burnable garbage likes kitchen garbage (from food, vegetable, fish and meat).

Every region different day for throwing garbage. At my region, every monday and thursday for burnable garbage, wednesday for unrecycle garbage and friday for recycle garbage.  

But for big garbage, if you want throw garbage, you must pay. Example you want throw car, you must pay 20.000 JPN to garbage disposal station. If you throw bycle, cupboard, chair, table, and another bigthing, you also pay money.    

I think its a good idea, because city office doesnot need much money for burning garbage and also good for resource.  

In japan, the subject is very interesting. When my husband wants to legalize his master degree certificate, his professor was so excited. Cause, the Japan system do not recognize a legalized certificate, the copy is enough. Good name of the professor or teacher can make guarantee their student. It means that japan system is entrusted society, no need to make a legalized copy, because the copy itself is sufficient. 

In Indonesia, every body makes a legalized certificate for going to school or job, the copy of certificate is not enough. Why? because Indonesia system is low trust society.             

Japan is developed country. Income per capita Japan is higher than Indonesia. But you know, japanese people always find something cheap and also good quality. In mall or market sometime makes campaign sale. Grand opening at Yodobashi camera make sale electronic product, like 50　percent cheaper from normal. Sometimes they stand in line, because so many people want to buy cheapthing but quantity for that not many.  

In market, for example Tairaya, Kawachi, or Bellmall, they sometimes provide for special price. At Kawachi, every week in Thuesday and Wednesday, they make sale for something. And they inform the news in pamflet. At Tairaya, every week in Thuesday and Wednesday, it sometimes sale for vegetable. At night, they make also sale for food (like sushi, sashimi, etc), fish or vegetable that becomes bad condition if the food is kept long time.

In Japan also has some second use store, like Book Off (for book) and Hard Off (for hardwear, sport equipment, music equipment, cloth, bag, bycycle and etc). If we clever to find something, we find good quality and cheap. Somethime we find newthing, cause japanese people didnot use.I think In Indonesia not so easy to find. When I came back in Indonesia last year, I saw at Gramedia Book Store to sell imported book from Japan expensive. Sometime in Japan, I find that book in Book off 3 fold or 4 fold cheaper than in Indonesia. I saw at Gramedia Book Store, that book not new(second use).   

You know, allthing in Japan expensive than Indonesia, but if devide with salary this is cheap. For example salary in Indonesia for bachelor 1.000.000 IDR and then for eat 1 time 7.000 IDR. But in Japan for bachelor 180.000 JPY and then for eat 1 time 500 JPY. 1 JPY equal with 90 IDR. You see, which cheaper? At Japan also, with 500 JPY food is healty food. Because somefood, japanese people called "bento" include fish or meat and vegetables.