Life in Kitakyushu, Japan

I've been staying here for almost 3 months and I am enjoying it. Life is a little slower as the population is about 900,000. The size of this city is slightly bigger than half the size of SG which has a population of 5.9 million. Therefore, the people are more relaxed and easy going. By and large, the Japanese are courteous and considerate people. They do not litter the streets and nor horn their cars. They take pride in keeping their houses and even the public toilets clean.There are lots of shops, restaurants, supermarkets etc. The quality of the meat,vegetables, rice, eggs etc is excellent. Most of the food items are produced locally.The weather is comfortable except for winter which to me is rather chilly. The winter temperature ranges from 5c in the night to around 15c.
I've a one year visa to live here and it is renewable. I am allowed to work in any part of Japan. It's very difficult to obtain PR let alone citizenship. Recently, the Japanese government has allowed us to participate in the health insurance scheme. I will have to pay 20% of my medical bills. The yearly premium for me and my wife is about S$380 (combined). This is indeed very generous of the government who has compassion for the people.

Cherry tomatoes ready for picking

These are the cherry tomatoes we've successfully grown in our garden. A few are ready for picking. It gives us satisfaction to see the fruits of our labour.

Almost empty supermarket

This supermarket is almost without customers. It is a huge place and the stuff it is selling are not expensive at all...but why was it empty? First reason is it was a weekday and around 3 pm which is an off peak period, second there are many such places within a 5 km radius...as many as 10. Thirdly, Kitakyushu is a city slightly more than half size of Singapore with a small population of less than a million.
Size of Kitakyushu is 486 sq km and SG is 720 sq km

"One Kiss" currently the top song in Fukuoka

Eating our home grown onions

Finally, we managed to eat our home grown onions. The other long dark green stuff is a cucumber given to us by our neighbour. I don't fancy the cucumber and it tasted ordinary to me.The onions tasted sweet and refreshing. They are soft and tender too.

By the riverside

This is Mojiko or Moji Port where one could take a ferry and cross to Shimonoseki. The ferry ride is about 5 minutes (400 Yen or S$5 one-way). The famous Karato Fish Market is in Shimonoseki. We will visit the fish market in the coming days.

These shoes were purchased from a store near our house. There were sold at a giveaway price of 390 Yen or S$5 per pair. The prices are unbelievably reasonable. Some shirts were also going for $5 (for men & women) each.
Things in Japan are quite cheap. Houses, cars, food etc are cheaper than in SG.
Life in Japan is comfortable and pleasant.
Two days ago, we had a sashimi and sushi lunch. It was a buffet and cost us only $12.50 each (nett). For the same price, you may only get a bowl of ramen in a Japanese restaurant in SG.

This is kakigori or the equivalent of our ice kacang. The ice is very finely shaved and smooth. This is the green tea kakigori. Lovely to have them during summer.

Fishing for your dinner

There is a restaurant in Fukuoka whereby you may fish for your dinner. The chefs will cook the fish you catch in the way you like it.
The restaurant is shaped like a boat with water by the side. It is as though you are out in a lake or pond. Fishing rods and baits are supplied. All you have to do is try to catch the fishes.
For 3 people the bill came up to about S$100. It was inexpensive as the food was excellent, service outstanding and fun.

BP gauge

I bought this blood pressure gauge from SG and thought the price was reasonable (S$80) until I saw it was selling for about $50 in Japan.  I have been fleeced!

This morning I went for a walk along the riverside which is near to where I am staying. I did not go to the park (park is quite far away) as the weather is cloudy and may rain anytime. Interestingly, there were 2 houses near the river where the owners keep their dogs at the backyard. The name "Dan" belongs to a Labrador who was peering from the veranda and barking at me but disappeared when I produced my mobile phone to take a shot at him.

I have been eating a lot in Japan and started to gain about 2 kilogram in weight. However, I am comforted by the fact that my blood pressure is still normal. I am quite bless in terms of health. I give God the glory!

Japanese cold noodles or hiyashi chuka

This was my brunch hiyashi chuka or Japanese cold noodles. It is only available during the hot seasons. You eat it with soy sauce flavoured sour dressings. This is one of my favourite Japanese dishes. This is an inexpensive but yummy dish costing about 500 Yen which is S$6 (in a restaurant). The portion is big and can literally fill up the stomach.

Spaghetti Napolitan from Japan

I came across this frozen spaghetti napolitan in a supermarket in Japan. I paid about S$2 for this pack and microwaved it according to the instruction. It turned out to be superb. This is one of the best instant food I've ever eaten. To make it even more oishi, I added some Parmesan cheese.

We have this plot of land which is about 1,000 sq ft. We are trying to grow some vegetables and flowers. I am not good at gardening or farming but my in-laws are familiar with it. According to them the soil is not fertile and need to plough them and add some fertilizers.
The bottom picture is that of onions which they planted and grew quite well. I had the first taste of the onions today when we plucked them from the garden. They were the sweetest and tastier onions I've ever had.

Growing tomato cherries and parsley

We are trying to grow cherry tomatoes as well as a few parsley plants. As you can see the tomatoes are still green and may take a month or two before they are ripened. The last picture is the parsley plants.

Breakfast