The weather has been good these last few days. The average temperature is 20c during the day and 16c during the night. Due to the nice weather, I went to a park nearby and walked. The furthest I've walked was a tiring 4.4 km. I've been unfit for a while now, preferring to sit in front of my computer. I hope to do better to improve my fitness such as walking frequently and eating less.

              Our breakfast this morning was a bowl of niku soba and katsu don

My father-in-law's Toyota Sienta has finally arrived. He is a bit confused over the modern gadgets in this car but I think he will get over it in a matter of a few days. I too, am not sure about the operation of some of the features as I do not understand Japanese (manual is in Japanese) but is able to drive without much difficulties. 

After a hearty home prepared Japanese breakfast we headed for a "coffee" cafe. We had coffee and coffee ice cream at the cafe. It wasn't a nice day as there was intermittent rain but the temperature was a consoling 26c throughout the afternoon.

These mochi cakes are chewy, sweet and delicious. We got them from a confectionary near our house. I particularly love the ones in green. They are known as matcha (green tea) mochi cake. After eating a few pieces, I found myself full and unable to eat anything else.

For a change, we had home prepared spaghetti with meat sauce for breakfast. My in-laws prefer the typical Japanese breakfast or rice, fish and miso soup.
We also had a plate of pickled egg and cucumber each. The oranges we had from the market were sourish and not worth the 400 Yen or $5 we paid!

Below were photos I took of a typical street in Japan. What I wanted to say is that the Japanese are so discipline that they do not park their cars along the roadside. There was no double yellow line like in Singapore and it isn't an offence for them to park their cars along the roadside.
The orange line in the middle of the road is to indicate that there should be no overtaking of vehicles. It is equivalent of our double white line.

Breakfast was a cup of coffee, sausages, toasts, fried egg and veggies. After breakfast, went for a 3km walk around the reservoir.
The steak was from a supermarket. It tasted so good and I like it without any accompaniment except some sweet cherry tomatoes. I am enjoying myself in Japan especially now that the temperature is warm and comfortable (18c to 27c).

Shopping at Don Don Donki, Japan

Don Don Donki aka Don Quijote is a popular budget store in Japan that sells watches,clocks, clothings, toys etc etc to food items like cup and instant noodles, coffee powder, freshly baked sweet potatoes, kimchi and many others at huge discounts.
We bought a few items like kimchi (S$2), cream puffs (90cents each), grated cheese, instant coffee powder etc. They are all cheaper than those sold at other supermart.
Don Don Donki has opened a store in Orchard Central, Singapore last year. It is very popular with Singaporeans and tourists.

A visit to a nursery in Fukuoka, Japan

Visiting a nursery is an exhilarating experience for me. There are flowers and fruit/vegetable seedlings of all sorts like melon, cherries, cucumber etc.
Today is a comfortable warm day for me with top temperature of 25c. I dread the cold and wet weather especially the last winter.
We went to a nearby park and walked for 2.4km. It is a necessary exercise for me without which I would feel lethargic and restless.

I am glad the weather has improved. Today's top temperature is 25C and most sunny and comfortable. Still waiting for our car to arrive without which we can't do much sightseeing, shopping etc.
The warmest day will be Tuesday when the temperature will hit 28C. Sunday may be a day of clouds and rain but still with a high of 24c, it won't be too bad.

Udon lunch and miserable spring weather

Visited a popular udon restaurant in Fukuoka for lunch. The udon as well as the oden were delightfully oishi. We went there at about 3pm so the place is quiet and void of people. After lunch, we had the above desserts at Mini Stop, a konbini....super delicious!

Today's weather is still cold and windy. It is supposed to be springtime and the weather should be warmer and better. It is also cloudy and the night temperature may go down to 13C (last night was cold and had to use the heater)

It is refreshing soaking yourself in the hot bath (temp 42C) after a nice home cooked dinner. The temperature is about 17C in the house. It is still too cold for me and I dread the cold wet weather. Come winter, I will head for Singapore where the weather is hot and nice!

Clean and tidy toilets in Japan

The above is a toilet at a konbini. It is very clean and well kept. More often than not, most public toilets are tidy.
Below is a toilet at a supermarket. Impressively tidy it does not have a toilet attendant to frequently clean the toilet like in Singapore.

The weather hasn't been that good since yesterday. It is springtime but it is raining cats and dogs. Besides, it is cold averaging about 18C during the day and 16C in the night. The rain interrupts our itinerary.
According to the weather forecast, it may be slightly better tomorrow but there will still be some rain.

A visit to the supermarket in Japan is a refreshing experience. There is an abundant supply of sushi, sashimi, fishes,vegetables, fruits etc etc. If you look at the fish, you will noticed the eyes are glassy and clear.  The 2 signs show the fish is absolutely fresh. Unlike where I come from (Singapore) our supermarkets sell fish that are usually stale and smelly. I suppose we can't help it because the fishes in SG are imported.

Went to another park which is bigger than the previous one we visited. There are all kinds of trees but the bamboo trees are the ones that attracted my attention. I have not seen a bamboo tree since I was a kid. The weather wasn't so kind to us and we had to hurriedly leave the park. I promised myself that I will be back here when the weather is nicer.
The 2 top pictures are car parking lots. There are ample lots and parking is free of charge. However, vehicles are not allowed to park here after 5pm as the operating hours are from 9am till 5pm.