Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Sampai Tokyo



My flight was in the deep of the night between 3 to 5.30 in the morning. I couldn'd sleep a wink *sigh* as usual. By 4 am the sky was suddenly ablase with fiery yellow strip and by 10 minutes later, it was daylight. Most of the passengers on flight were young Japanese youth on holidays. I think this is the cheapest flight I've taken in my life, even a cup of juice is charged for 100 yen.
Landing arrival was smooth and I was the last to pick my luggage. Saw Hani waving at the waiting floor. It was about 6am, when we left the airport parking lot and drove to Yokohama. While we talked, my eyes were looking around everywhere, trying to find something familiar. Just a little spot here and there but not much as most of the byways and highways were not there 20 years ago.
Anyway, when we reached Hani's house, the first thing I was showed here small garden porch where she grew almost anything that she can get her hands on. She has this olive tree growing about 3 metres with lots of little green olive fruits. Actually, this is the first time I saw olive trees, then she have kacang panjang, 3 pots of beautiful kesum plant, 2 bushful of healthy serai, mulburry plant and lots more other plants that I've seen before.
For breakfast, we had nasi lemak and towards lunchtime, we made our way to AiniZakri's house in Naka-Meguro. Going from Yokohama towards Tokyo, we had to pass through Tamagawa river and then, I saw the area that I occupied 25 years back.
I screamed at the same time pointing to Hani the area and make her promised to take me there again to have a closer inspection and hopefully manage to see my previous apartment owner.
We reached AiniZakri's house in the depth of Tokyo. I don't recognised anything at all on the road there at all. None at all. Most things have changed.
Before seeing Aini's apartment, I had the impression that her apartment is going to be the typical Japanese 3-rooms 6 tatami design, but I was in for a shock. Real shock. But, unfortunately, I cannot tell you this shocking feeling as it might revealed some confidential privacy on my kind host. So, let us stop here.
We girls chatted all through the day and still going strong towards late evening. In fact, our friend Hani was quite taken away with the time until she really, really had to rush home in the night.
Aini's hubby came home and we had dinner together and chatted away till very late into the night. Eventhough I still haven't had a wink for more than 24 hours.
He is a very acceptable kind of guy, easy to adapt and talk to. There is not an air of showishness in him. I've met some guys with his character, the kind that you couldn't get mad at, in whatever situation!
Yesterday, the second days at Aini's house, we prepared ourselves to leave the house after a late breakfast. Imagine me not sleeping for more than 24 hours and that morning on the rock I slept through till 9.30 am.
Just as I planned, after breakfast we made our way to Akihabara. We went from nooks to nooks, corners to corners, alleys to alleys. Aini had some hard time trying to keep up to me. She is into her 4 month pregnancy, all she complained was the heat of summer but she never say a word about tiredness.
Anyway, I found out that they do sell laptop Windows Vista in English here for about US1000. What made us went about every nooks and corners were comparing some desktops and laptops for Aini. I knew the exact specification and we were trying to get the best for somewhat at minimum cost. We went for Laox to Laox, from small tiny shops to big famous names. I was searching for a desktop with 300 gigabytes, HDD more that 1.8 with speed of 1 gigabyte and of course engilish Vista.
It either we have that spec but Japanese vista or the right spec with eng. vista but at some extro cost.
Anyway, we made some dealings and negotiations and had to make our way to Azra Haida'house. We took the Ginza line to Asakusa masjid and then took the local bus.
She leaves almost on the roof of that masjid and we had to climb some 5 story flight of steps.

After the intro and get-to-know sessions, we were served asam pedas with goreng sayur and a dish of ikan terubuk masin. With Haida's husband, the imam of the masjid, we chatted for almost 3 hours topic ranging from politic to Islam, but mostly islamic.
I thought maybe today, the 3rd day in Aini's house, I take the 3 children to the public library here and read them some Japanese children story. Then, we might go for some light groceries to prepare for our trip to Niigata tomorrow.
Niigata is the hometown of Hani's in-law and the place where Aini's hubby study before. Well, I haven't been to Niigata before and going there would serve the 3 of us some good purpose.

11 comments:

  1. seronoknyeeeeeeeeeee

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  2. wah akak...sumer makanan melayu! bila akak nak balik okinawa? dah ramai orang rindu nih!

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  3. Assalamualaikum.

    Puan Halela, salam perkenalan.
    Saya telah mengikuti /membaca banyak entries dalam blog Puan sejak dua minggu lalu , jumpa blog ini melalui pautan Puan Nisah Haron.

    Memang menarik kisah-kisah yang Puan tulis.

    Aminah Jazilah Abu Bakar

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  4. Puan Halela.
    Assalamualaikum.

    Salam perkenalan.

    Saya telah membaca banyak entries menarik dalam blog Puan yang saya temui melalui pautan dari blog penulis Puan Nisah Haron.

    Si sulung akan singgah di Malaysia tak? Teringin hendak berkenalan dengannya.

    Aminah Jazilah Abu Bakar

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  5. I do not know when is the last time we met in a blog,...but I do think I close to you and then both of us have been in silence.
    Kak Halela, I do miss you so much and I am happy that at last I meet you again. I guessed this is not a new blog,right?
    Hmm..take care Kak Halela.

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  6. kak lela...seronoknyeee...saya pun dah lama tak ke niigata...my husband pun was study kat niigata 6 years ago..

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  7. Jahrera...murah sgt ke tiket tu, lebih murah dari a cup of juice? Saya pun nak cuba jugalah.

    Nanti boleh bisik dgn saya tak apa yg big shock tu... syuuuuu naisyone!

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  8. kak lela tinggi yer orgnya heheee :D hmm bestnya sesekali jalan,jumpa kawan2.. i miss nihon.harap 1 hari nnti dpt pergi sana lagi.Niigata.. tmpt hubby study dulu.. pun tak sempt pegi maybe someday...

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  9. eh ada org nama saya dgn saya!

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  10. zar tak tahu kak lela ada blog lain.. sedihnyerrr.. hari tu kak lela kata dah tak buka blog.. rindu nak baca catatan kak lela...

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  11. salam buat sifu,
    lama tak dengar khabar sifu? sifu sihat?
    fina nak tunggu sifu buat masakan jepun pulak ni....hehe

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