Steve Biddulph in Frankston

Steve Biddulph, the author of Raising Boys and child psychologist will make an appearance at the Frankston Arts Centre on Monday, 25 October. Steve Biddulph offers simple practical ways to help boys to grow up to be happy, positive, caring and motivated. The event will be held at the Frankston Arts Centre, Playne Street, Frankston from 7:30pm – 9:15pm and costs $10 per adult. Bookings are required as places will sell quickly. To book call 9784 1060 or visit http://www.artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au/.

Pet`s Day Out

Pet`s Day Out is on again this Sunday, 10th October 2010 from 10:00 am to 4:00pm. Treat your pet and family to a fantastic FREE day of tasty treats, entertainment and displays. Free children`s activities include: Amusement Rides, Face Painting, Giant Animal Farm, Reptile Display, and Pony Rides. The event will also feature special guest Dr Chris Brown from “Bondi Vet”, who will host the PETstock Pet Parade. Pet`s Day Out will be held at Ballam Park, Cranbourne Road, Frankston (Melway Ref, 103 B5).

Travel to Japan

Japan

Japan the "Land of the Rising Sun" is a country where the past meets the future. Japan has a traditional culture that stretches back millennia, yet has also adopted (and created) the latest modern fashions and trends. Japan is a country of contrasts with beautiful temples and gardens along with ultra modern and high tech cities. There is a surprise around every corner and you will never get bored in Japan. The Japanese are well known for their politeness and thrilled to have visitors to their country. They will be incredibly helpful to lost and bewildered foreigners and are always willing to lend a hand and help you out.

Holidays

The most important holiday in Japan is New Year (Oshougatsu), where much of the country shuts down from December 30 to January 3. In March/April, Japanese head out en masse for hanami or “flower viewing), a festival of outdoor picnics and drinking that is cleverly disguised as cherry blossom viewing and a great time of year to visit Japan. The longest holiday in Japan is Golden Week (April 27 to May 6), which is a collection of four public holidays within a week and a time where everybody goes on vacation both inside Japan and abroad. Trains, hotels and tourist places are extremely crowded during this period and prices are a lot higher than usual making this a bad time to travel in Japan. Summer time brings a spate of festivals including fireworks and obon.

Climate

The Japanese are very proud of their four distinct seasons with the best time of year for travel being either Spring or Autumn.

Spring is one of the best times of year to be in Japan with the warm temperatures but not hot and not too much rain. March-April brings the famous cherry blossoms and lots of fun and festivals.

Summer starts with the dreary rainy season in June and turns into a steambath with hot & humid conditions in July-August.

Autumn which starts in September is also an excellent time to be in Japan with cooler temperatures and the beautiful fall colours which can be seen in the mountains.

Winter is a great time to go skiing/snowboarding or hot spring hopping. There is usually heavy snow in the mountainess areas and cold winds and temperatures through out most of Japan.

Getting Around Japan

Japan has one of the world`s best transport systems, and getting around is usually a breeze with the train being the most popular method. I usually use www.hyperdia.com to look through transport schedules and prices. Japan`s railways are fast, efficient and cover most of the country.
The best option for visitors who plan to do a lot of travelling in Japan is the Japan Rail Pass, which allows unlimited travel on almost all JR trains, including the shinkansen, for a fixed period of 7, 14 or 21 days (excluding the Nozomi superexpress). This pass can only be purchased outside of Japan.

Eating in Japan

Japanese cuisine is renowned for its emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients with the key ingredients of most meals being rice, soup and a main dish. Seafood features heavily in Japanese cuisine. Travelling within Japan will lead you to discover the local specialities of each region. Japanese fast food restaurants offer decent quality at reasonable prices with Yoshinoya, Matsuya and Sukiya great for gyudon (beef bowl) and Coco Ichiban specializing in Japanese style curry rice dishes. American fast food restaurants are also very prevelant including McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Wendy`s.

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Famous Japanese Movies

There are lots of good Japanese movies that you could watch to improve your Japanese. I highly recommend some of the animated movies as the Japanese used is aimed at young children so therefore a lot easier to understand. Check out Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and Princess Mononoke (Japan`s number one movie until Titanic) all by Hayao Miyazaki, who is Japan`s most famous director. Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea released recently is also a great movie and well worth watching. These movies are also great to watch if you want to see a good movie or are interested in Japanese movies or culture. They are also readily available in Emglish.
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Famous Japanese Books and Novels

There are many great Japanese books and novels that are really interesting and give you a great insight into Japan and Japanese culture in general. Japan`s most famous author is Natsume Soseki. His books are read and have been read by Japanese with most people reading them during their school age. Soseki`s most famous novels are Botchan and I am a Cat. They are readily available in English and are great novels in their own right. I read them when I lived in Japan and studied Japanese and they gave me a good insight into Japanese culture and Japan. Other famous and popular Japanese stories include Momotaro "Peach Boy" and Kintaro "Golden Boy".

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Otaku

Otaku is a Japanese term used to describe people with obsessive interests usually related to anime, manga or video games.

In modern Japanese slang, the term refers to a fan of any particular theme, topic or hobby. Common otaku include anime otaku (fan of anime), cosplay otaku and manga otaku (fans of comic books), pasokon otaku (computer geek), gemu otaku (video games), ota (fans of Japanese idols). The term can basically be used and applied to anything obsessive such as music, cooking, martial arts, etc.

Japanese Breakfast

At the heart of most meals are three basic bowls: rice, soup and a main dish. A traditional breakfast will contain a bowl of steamed rice, miso soup and grilled fish. They will be accompanied by side dishes of rolled omelet (tamagoyaki), pickles (tsukemono), natto and salad. The typical traditional breakfast beverage is green tea. Japanese rice is made with white short grain Japanese rice, which has a consistency that differs from long-grain rice. The essential quality is its stickiness or glutinousness. This is usually sold in Western supermarkets as either short-grain rice or sushi rice. Western style breakfasts are also very popular now in Japan and these usually consist of toast, bacon or sausage, boiled or fried eggs and hash browns or chips. Breakfast cereals are also increasing in popularity.

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