2026 Somei Yoshino Sakura blooms

Our Somei Yoshino Sakura tree in full bloom. 
 うちのソメイヨシノの満開です。

Trip back home to Malaysia (2026)

 ちょこちょこばなし

～庵治町とケダ州─遠くて近い「ふるさと」の今～

よろしかったら、読んでみて下さい。

Here is a translation of the Japanese write-out of my last trip back home to Malaysia. You are welcomed to read if you have time. 

**************

I returned to my hometown in Malaysia after two years. It was a short two-week trip, but I was able to escape the Japanese cold and completely relax.

This time, for the first time, I used Hong Kong Express from Takamatsu Airport, transiting through Hong Kong to Penang Airport in northern Malaysia. Previously, I had used Kansai International Airport or Haneda International Airport, but this route was far easier.

Malaysia is a country of eternal summer. Although I arrived in the middle of the night, the temperature was a comfortable 27 degrees Celsius. My hometown is in Kedah state, which borders Penang state. It's a peaceful region with vast rice paddies, and the rice was just growing, creating a green carpet across the landscape. Seeing this scenery soothed my soul. As a child, I often went into the rice paddies and helped with tasks like planting and weeding. I even caught fish in the paddies. However, I hated being bitten by leeches.

Back then, the population of my hometown was much larger, but now it's significantly smaller. Like Aji-cho, most of the residents are elderly, and children are rarely seen.

I stayed in my hometown for about a week, enjoying short day trips to nearby towns by car every day, savoring local cuisine and durian, often called the "king of fruits."

I stayed in Penang for several days. For me, Penang is a place I never tire of visiting. It has a rich history, and delicious restaurants are scattered throughout the city. It's hot during the day, but strolling around the city in the morning or evening is very pleasant.

Penang's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular long-stay destination for Japanese people. The reasons for this seem to be its warm climate, good safety record, friendly atmosphere towards Japanese people, and excellent Japanese language support.

Shakuhachi at Aji Wai Marche

Playing the shakuhachi at the Aji Wai Marche event. 庵治わいマルシェで、尺八を吹かせてもらいました。（写真提供：藤岡つよかず）

Outdoor photo exhibition Kaiganji Temple

Participated in an event at Kaiganji Temple with an outdoor photo exhibition of Beautiful Fish. Was happy that the members of the hula dance group Imua Noa Makani came to see it. 真魚のみた里山里海プロジェクト（会場：海岸寺）で、美魚の写真展示で参加させて頂きました。フラダンスImua Noa Makaniの皆さんは見て下さって、うれしかったです。（写真提供：Imua Noa Makani）

First time to change tire 初めてのタイヤ交換

67 years old, and first time in my life to change a flat tire by myself. Oh, the joy of learning new things... 67歳、人生で初めて自分でパンクしたタイヤを交換しました。あぁ～、新しいことを学ぶ喜び…

Metal-frame car shed re-assembled 鉄パイプ車庫の再組立て

 

Strong gales dislocated the metal-frame car shed the other day.

Lucky to have some good friends helping me to re-assemble it.

Thank you so much!! 鉄パイプで作られた車庫は先日の暴風に倒されました。

再組立ては、良き友人たちに手伝ってもらいました。

サンキューベリーマッチ

Balik kampong trip to Malaysia マレーシア、年に一度の帰郷

Just returned from a relaxing two-week vacation in Malaysia. Spent quality time in my village in Kedah, and drove around the small towns nearby for short day trips. Also spent a few days wonderful days in Penang.

マレーシアでの2週間の旅から戻りました。 故郷のケダ州の村でゆったり過ごし、近隣の小さな町を車で巡る日帰り旅行も楽しみました。 ペナンでも素晴らしい数日間を過ごしました。

Playing Shakuhachi at the paddy fields.... 田んぼで尺八を吹く

Lucky to be able to eat durians... 幸運でドリアンを食べれた

Eating tosai, idli, vadai at a restaurant in Penang... ペナンでインド風の朝食を食べた。

Tai chi is fun!

 Hello everyone, Happy New Year! Here’s to new challenges in the new year.

Last year, I shared about my morning walks. This year, I’d like to talk about starting Tai Chi. I’ve actually wanted to try it for a long time, but never quite had the opportunity until recently. Last summer, I heard there was a Tai Chi club at the Aji Community Center and decided to go check it out. I was deeply moved by the warm welcome from the instructor and the members.

The Aji Tai Chi group has about 15 members. At 67 years old, I was told—surprisingly—that I’m actually the youngest! The instructor teaches us with great care. As a beginner, I’m currently learning "Introductory Tai Chi" and "Ten-Form Tai Chi." The movements may look simple at first glance, but they’re surprisingly challenging to master. Each movement has a poetic name inspired by animals or nature, like "Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane," "Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg," "Cloud Hands," and "Playing the Lute," which makes it even more interesting.

We practice once a week, and every session leaves me feeling energized and looking forward to the next one. I also try to practice at home (almost) every day. In early December, I participated for the first time in a performance of "Ten-Form Tai Chi" at a health and wellness festival held at Hottopiano.

Tai Chi itself is incredibly enjoyable, but what makes it even more special is the camaraderie among the members. Everyone is cheerful, and the atmosphere during practice is so relaxed that jokes are often exchanged. Members also actively engage in a kind of "barter system," swapping items like fish, sudachi (citrus), snacks, cucumbers, bell peppers, winter melon, basil, persimmons, and more.

Tai Chi at the community center is truly a joy. I hope to continue with it for a long time to come.

Fish Photo Exhibition & Talk Event @ Marugame City

Thanks to everyone's support, we were able to successfully hold the photo exhibition and talk event at "Marutasu" in Marugame City. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Marutasu and all the visitors who attended.

For the talk event, we were joined by Saki Hirose and Koji Nakano in a discussion with participants about "SDG 14: Life Below Water." It was a very meaningful initiative. Thank you all very much!

おさかな写真展＆トークイベント＠丸亀市

皆様のお陰をもちまして、丸亀市「マルタス」での写真展とトークイベントを無事に開催することができました。マルタスのスタッフの皆様をはじめ、ご来場いただいた皆様に心より感謝申し上げます。

トークイベントでは、Saki HiroseさんとKoji Nakanoさんにもご登壇いただき、参加者の皆様と「SDGs目標14（海の豊かさを守ろう）」についてディスカッション。とても有意義な取り組みとなりました。皆様、ありがとうございました！

Kimchi hotpot garden party

Today's menu was Kimchi hotpot. First time to cook this in our garden party. Lots of ingredients, taste was marvelous. To 'clean up' the pot, we had ramen noodles. We also had handmade cookies and pickled radish, sweet potato tarts, and lemon balm (from the garden) herb tea. Such a fun day. 
 今日のメニューは「キムチ鍋」です。ガーデンパーティーで初めての試み。具沢山で実にうまかった。〆はラーメンでした。他に手作りの米粉クッキーと大根の漬物、サツマイモタート、畑からのレモンバームハーブティー。全ては美味しくて、最高でした。

November 2025 Garden Party with friends

 仲間たちとガーデンパーティーをした。メニューは炊き込みうどんをはじめ、マレーシア風の汁粉、コーヒージェリー他。楽しい時間を共有できて、大変幸せでした。

Had some friends over for a cookout. Menu included udon noodles with lots of ingredients, red bean soup, coffee jelly, etc. What a fun day it was...

Winter radish, November 2025

Beautiful winter day in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan: 15 degrees, a light breeze, birds singing, and a radish harvest.香川県の冬の良き日。気温15度、穏やかな風に鳥のさえずり、そして大根の収穫。

 

Cook-out with friends from yoga class

Invited some friends from yoga class over for a cook-out. We made miso-based udon noodles with lots of vegetables and a little meat. For dessert, it was Malaysian-style red bean and sweet potato with coconut milk. We had so much fun cooking, eating, and laughing together. Showed them my vegetable garden, harvested a large winter melon, and gave each of them a piece. Also gave them some lemongrass to take home.
ヨガ同好会の友人数名をうちに招いて、屋外で料理を楽しみました。メインは味噌ベースのうどんで、野菜たっぷりに少々のお肉。デザート（マレーシア風）には、小豆とサツマイモ、ココナッツミルクのものを用意しました。一緒に料理をし、食べて、笑って、本当に楽しい時間でした。その後、私の家庭菜園を見せ、大きな冬瓜を収穫して皆に一切れずつ分け、レモングラスもお土産に差し上げました。

Open-air exhibition and talk on 'Beautiful fish' underwater photos

After a clean-up event at Funakakushi Beach, I had the pleasure of conducting an open-air exhibition and talk on the underwater photos of Aji Peninsula, which is located at the northernmost tip of Shikoku Island.  

Felt very happy to be able to share with participants, the beauty of the underwater world at this part of the Seto Inland National Park.

 《「美魚」の青空写真展とトーク 》

庵治なビーチクリーンが主催しました海岸清掃（船隠し）の後、「美魚」の青空写真展とトークを開催させていただきました。

瀬戸内海国立公園、四国最北端の地、庵治半島の海中の世界を皆さんと共有でき、大変嬉しく思います。

（写真は参加者提供です。）

Dried persimmons 干し柿

It takes a bit of effort, but managed to make some this year as well.
Looking forward to tasting them.

手間は少しかかりましたが、今年も作っておきました。
食べるのを楽しみにしています。

First try at pumpkin cake

First attempt at pumpkin cake. Improvised the recipe from online and steamed it in a big pot instead of a Dutch oven. So happy it turned out well!

初挑戦のパンプキンケーキ
ネットのレシピを見て、アドリブで作ってみました。ダッチオーブンの代わりに大きな鍋で蒸し焼きにして、これが結構うまくできて、最高に嬉しい！

Big Wild Goose Pagoda at Xi'an

Third solo trip to China

I am now at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, marking the end of my third solo trip to China. All in all, I was very fortunate to avoid any sickness or accidents, and I must say, as with my previous two solo trips, I thoroughly enjoyed my two-week stay.

The trip began in Shanghai on October 14, 2025. With just a few hours there, I only had time for a quick drink while watching life pass by from my hotel room window.

The next day, I hopped on a high-speed train to Zhenjiang. I spent two nights there, visiting the Grand Canal and the Vinegar Culture Museum. I loved the fragrance of the black vinegar and enjoyed tasting it on-site.

The high-speed train journey from Zhenjiang to Luoyang took over four hours. I had long wanted to visit Luoyang, as it was the capital for thirteen ancient dynasties. I was particularly eager to see the Longmen Grottoes. The rock-cut Buddha figures were truly awe-inspiring; when I first saw the grand central Buddha, I could only stand and gaze, completely awestruck. It's incredible that these figures, carved thousands of years ago, have been so well preserved.

Next was Xi'an, the main destination of this trip. Like its neighbor Luoyang, Xi'an served as the imperial capital for ten ancient dynasties and several regional kingdoms. Mind-boggling, isn't it? I spent five nights there, visiting the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, the Terracotta Army Museum, and the Green Dragon Temple, among others. The ranks of Terracotta Warriors in Pit No. 1 were a truly magnificent sight.

The Green Dragon Temple is where the Japanese monk Kūkai (who hailed from Kagawa Prefecture, where I now reside) studied Buddhism in 804 AD. After finishing his studies, he returned to Japan to establish the Shingon sect and the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. This temple is considered the symbolic "Number 0" of the pilgrimage route.

On my return leg, I stopped in Xuzhou, where I spotted a restaurant selling donkey meat from afar. Having already tried a donkey meat burger at a morning market in Luoyang, I approached out of curiosity to look at the menu. To my surprise, they offered donkey in a variety of ways, including one dish featuring the animal's penis and testicles. For dinner that night, I went to a restaurant near my hotel and ordered two vegetable dishes. While eating, I noticed that this restaurant, too, had donkey penis on its menu.

I returned to Shanghai for two final nights. This time, I managed to capture the iconic night view of the Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower, though the crowds at the Bund were overwhelming.

Throughout the trip, what I enjoyed most was cycling around on Hello Bikes. I found it fascinating to observe the routines and rhythms of everyday life in China. The other great joy, of course, was eating the local food. I made a point of finding shops patronized by locals. With only one exception, I enjoyed every meal throughout the entire trip.

I certainly hope to visit China again—perhaps Guangxi or Yunnan Province will be next.

Back to Blogger!

Looks like I have come a full circle with regards to blogging. 

Put it simply, I started blogging with Blogger in 2004, migrated to Wordpress and fooled around with Weebly. 

On this day, after pondering a while, I decided to return to Blogger. 

After all, I am still a proud Kedahan-Malaysian, and my adventures in Japan continues... 

Goodbye Blogger... thank you for all the good times...

Please click here → Kedahan-Malaysian @ Japan (Ver. 2.0), for my new blog at Wordpress. 
(Update on 19th October 2014)

*****   *****   *****

Yes, it is time to say goodbye to Blogger...

It has offered me a good platform to broadcast my views, my hobbies, my pictures, etc. to my friends in cyberspace...

If so, why 'goodbye'?

Well, the 'spark' is that silly thing called Google +1...

I had not paid any attention to it initially but it kept 'pestering' me to sign up...

So, one day, I casually signed up without reading what's in store...

After all, it is Blogger that we are dealing with here... they can't be that 'wrong', can they?

Or so I thought...

Yes, they said that with +1, all comments will be taken care of in one location... how nice, I imagined...

Imagine my horror when one blogger-friend told me that to comment on the blog posts, she needs to have an account in Google +1...

Yes, two or three new readers with +1 accounts commented... and I am happy that they did...
(Please accept my apologies as I honestly am quite lost as to how to reply to these comments through this +1 thingy.)

But, Blogger yanked off that comment moderation feature that I was used to... and I was not planning to spend more precious time playing games with Blogger on this...

So, what next?

Yes, get the heck out of this so-difficult-to-understand-and-handle +1 thingy...

Now, in Japan, I might be mistaken, but if a member of the 'yakuza' wanted out, he might have to chop off his little finger to present to the boss as a sign of 'regret'..

And what did +1 say to me if I decided to get out?

'All the comments will be deleted'...

Wonderful, said I... (and, with profound apologies to all who spent time to kindly comment on my posts)... so be it...

My first post with Blogger was in 28th October 2004...

Thank you Blogger, for all those nice things... but it is Sayonara for now...

To all my friends, I am bringing my horses to Wordpress...

The new url is here...

Would be a delight to see you there...

Sakura scenes in the Aji neighborhood 2013...

April in Japan is quite a lovely sight...

This is a scene that we can enjoy from our property...

Each spring, we wait with anticipation, the wild sakuras on the hillsides...

The pond is used to store water for agricultural (mainly paddy planting) purposes...

Taken from our vegetable garden, with the 'somei yoshino' sakura tree and our house in the background....

Our 'somei yoshino' sakura tree in full bloom...

View of our place from a distance...

The wild sakuras on the hill slopes...

And a final shot of the wild sakura that is just adjacent to our property...

(For some close-up shots of the sakuras, please see here.)