Rainy Season in Japan

June is the start of the rainy season in Japan and it can be very humid and unpleasant during the summer months. The summer months (June to August) are dominated by warm, moist air currents from the Pacific, and produce high temperatures and humidity throughout most of Japan. The rainy season usually mid/late May to June lasts a few weeks and starts in the South and gradually works its way northwards. A lot of care must be taken during this period to ensure that you get fresh air in to your home and keep it dry. Remember to shut all windows when going out as you don`t want a big downpour to ruin your home. I had a friend who left her window open and returned home to find her computer room covered in water and her computer completely ruined.

Tokyo Vice

Reporter Jake Adelstein recently released memoir Tokyo Vice is an account of his 12 year stint working the crime beat for the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan`s largest newspaper. The extortion, racketeering, prostitution and gambling rings associated with Japan`s yakuza criminal organizations have been written up in books and glorified in films numerous times before. Yet a substantial first hand peek inside this insidious underworld by a foreign journalist has not existed before. Tokyo Vice is written in a fast paced, acerbic and sometimes humorous style. Tokyo Vice recounts Jake Adelstein`s investigations into serial rape, pornography, murder and his greatest scoop: providing details on how four gangsters were able to travel to the US over several years to receive liver transplants.

Mornington Tourist Railway

The Mornington Peninsula has its own heritage railway, The Mornington Tourist Railway. Move over Puffing Billy and come and enjoy this beautiful railway restored to pristine condition. The Mornington Tourist Railway runs between Moorooduc and Mornington, on the first three Sundays of each month.

Mornington Peninsula Attractions

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Park

The Moonli Sanctuary Wildlife Park located at 550 Tyabb – Tooradin Rd, Pearcedale specialises in after dark visits. The park was opened about 10 years ago with the nocturnal creatures the star of the show. There are more than 200 animals from 50 species living on the park, including endangered species such as squirrel gliders and Tasmanian devils. Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Park is open daily from 11am to 5pm. Day admission costs $12 for adults and $7.50 for children. Night tours are $27 for adults and $16 for children. Make a visit to Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Park next for your travel plans.

Japanese Garden

Japanese Beef

Japanese beef is the most tender beef in the world. Japan`s Wagyu cattle are pampered, fed beer and massaged daily, sometimes with sake, and played classical music for relaxation to produce the best premium beef in the world. My favourite Wagyu beef in Japan comes from Matsuzaka in Mie Prefecture, and Kobe. I also like Hida beef from the mountains of Gifu in Japan and recommend you try it in Takayama, Japan. The Hida beef sushi from the main street in Takayama is really good and so are the Hida beef patties.

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Victoria Masters Invitational Snooker at the Frankston RSL

Some of Australia`s best snooker players will compete in the Victoria Masters Invitational Snooker Tournament at the Frankston RSL on Sunday, May 23 from 10:30am to 5pm. Entry is free for spectators. The excitement of Neil Robertson`s win in the World Snooker Championship will hopefully increase the profile of the sport in Australia with Australian number two, Steve Mifsud competing at the event.

Mornington Peninsula Garden Pass

A great way to view the spectacular gardens of the Mornington Peninsula is through a Mornington Peninsula garden pass. The garden pass allows you to spend a day visiting three Mornington Peninsula gardens with a single $39 pass. It includes entry to Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Garden, Australian Garden and Heronswood Garden, each offering a different unique experience.

Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Garden

The Japanese Garden

Medical Insurance in Japan

There are a few options available to you in regards to Medical Insurance in Japan. The Health care system in Japan provides healthcare services through a number of insurance systems. In Japan it is compulsory to be enrolled in one of the Japanese insurance programs if you are a resident but foreigners living in Japan live within a grey zone where government officials recommend joining the National Health Insurance but do not force them. There are two main Health Insurance Systems in Japan.
These are referred to as Employee`s Health Insurance (kenkou hoken) and Japanese National Health Insurance (kokumin hoken). Under the Japanese National Health Insurance the patient pays 30% of the cost while the government pays the remaining 70%. The monthly insurance premium is paid per household and is scaled to annual income. The Japanese National Health Insurance (Kokumin Hoken) is great because it is convenient but costs a lot in the long run and you must live permanently in Japan.

I would suggest that you should have basic travel insurance as this will cover you almost 100% for medical and hospital treatment in Japan. I lived in Japan for over 10 years and found that initially basic travel insurance from home covered me more than adequately. You will need to pay for the cost yourself upfront but get reimbursed later for the costs. You just need to supply a doctor`s certificate and the original receipts from the doctor`s visit.

I would also advise that you visit a local clinic rather than a larger hospital. I found a local clinic just around the corner from my apartment and this was a lot more convenient and saved a lot of time waiting in a big hospital. The local clinic over a number of years treated me for different aliments including colds and virus. I found it a lot better as I got to know the doctors and staff a lot easier and save time. I hope this helps you with information about Medical Insurance and Health Care in Japan.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

Seaford Farmer's Market

The Seaford Farmer`s Market is on again this Sunday, May 16 from 8am to 1pm. Located next to the Seaford Community Center, Station Street, Seaford. The market offers a diverse range of seasonal produce and freshly made goodies. Entry is a $2 donation per adult with the money going to local charities supported by Rotary.

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Mornington Peninsula Markets

Ogimachi Timber Houses Shirakawa-go, Gifu Japan

The Japanese village of Ogimachi located in the Shirakawa-go region of Gifu Prefecture in Japan has long been known for the handsome gassho zukuri houses that make the tranquil village so special.

Mountain isolation has preserved Ogimachi`s abundant charms and the Japanese village has been on the UNESCO World Heritage register since 1995. The village is famous for its gassho zukuri houses. Gassho zukuri means “constructed like hands in prayer”, and locals say the steep thatched roofs look like a Buddhist monk`s hands pressed together in prayer. This unique building style has evolved over many generations to make the structures strong enough to withstand the heavy snow that falls during the winter months. They are built without nails and with vast attics designed to provide indoor working space. Today there are 114 gassho zukuri buildings still standing in Ogimachi and visitors can go inside some to see how they were constructed and divided for living entertainment and working.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

I Love Frankston Footy Day

I Love Frankston Footy Day returns to Frankston Park this Saturday, 15 May. The Frankston Dolphins will take on Collingwood. Normal admission charges have been waived and entry is by gold coin donation at the gates, with proceeds going to the new Frankston Community Fund. Attractions will include a jumping castle, mini golf, Auskick demonstrations, Guitar Hero, Wii, live music, kids adventure ropes bridge, colouring competitions and a sausage sizzle. Scooby Doo, Happy the Dragon and Finn the Dolphin will also wander around for the kids to meet and greet.
The I love Frankston Footy Day runs from 12pm to 4pm at Frankston Park, cnr Young St and Plowman Place.

Mornington Peninsula Golf

Mornington Peninsula Golf is one of the best places in Australia to play golf on some of the best courses in the world. Golf on the Mornington Peninsula has never been better with more courses rated amongst the best in the country each year. The golfing gods surely must have smiled when they spied this land with its emerald landscape as green as the great golf courses in Britain, sand dunes that would create naturally contoured challenges, fast draining soils and cool refreshing sea breezes. The area offers superb quality of golf that has been likened to the Monterey Peninsula in California and Fife in Scotland. There are many reasons to play golf on the Mornington Peninsula. First, is the price; you can play many of the courses here for less than $50 a round. Then there is the convenience; there are more than 20 courses located within a 30 minute drive of each other. Most of the courses are open to the public and the Mornington Peninsula boasts 8 of Australia's top 50 courses. The following courses are some of the best the Mornington Peninsula has to offer.


Moonah Links Golf Course (Rye)
Moonah Links has two courses: The Open designed by 5 time British Open Champion, Peter Thompson, and The Legends, designed by Ross Perrett. The Open course is a long testing championship layout that has hosted the Australian Open twice in 2003 and 2005. You need to be a reasonable player to handle this course. The Legends was designed to be more user friendly and not as challenging as The Open course. Play 18 holes for $95, $50 after 3pm or from May 1, $75 and $50 after 2pm.

St Andrews Beach (Rye)
St Andrews Beach close to Moonah Links has only just re-opened after a brief period of closure. This stunning links style layout was designed by legendary American designer Tom Doak and offers quite reasonable green fees. Play 18 holes for $49 on weekdays, $39 after 1pm, or $69 on weekends, $49 after 1pm.

Eagle Ridge Golf Course (Boneo)
Eagle Ridge Golf Course located in Boneo just outside of Rye is a resort style championship course with competitive green fees. This course is often described as the Royal Melbourne of the Mornington Peninsula. The stunning clubhouse showcases views of the magnificent course, landscaped grounds and ornamental lakes. Play 18 holes for $50 on weekdays or $55 on weekends. From May 1 it's $35 and $45 respectively.

The Dunes Golf Links (Rye)
The Dunes also located in Rye is rated as one of the nation`s finest and the green fees are more than reasonable. Set on 300 acres of gently rolling sand dunes the facility offers 27 holes of golf. Play 18 holes for $52 on weekdays or $69 on weekends.

Portsea Golf Club (Portsea)
Portsea is a wonderful golfing experiences and can be played cheaply. The course is rated one of Australia`s best and is set amongst a superbly maintained links style layout with rolling sand dunes and coastal vegetation adjoining Point Nepean National Park.

The National Golf Club (Cape Schanck)
The National boasts 3 championship courses all listed in Australia`s top 50. The Old course designed by legendary American designer Robert Trent Jones jnr, The Moonah designed by Greg Norman and the Ocean desgned by Peter Thomson with partners Wolveridge & Perrett. All 3 courses are remarkably unique and all offer the most incredible golfing experience.

Flinders Golf Club (Flinders)
Flinders Golf Club was founded over 100 years ago and is one of the most scenic and accessible golf courses on the Mornington Peninsula. Built along a stunning stretch of cliff top land overlooking Bass Strait and Westernport Bay.

Devilbend Golf Club (Moorooduc)
Devilbend Golf Club in Moorooduc is a challenging 18 hole 5998m course set amidst a flora and fauna reserve. This is a very picturesque course with lots of birdlife set amongst Moorooduc plains.

The Ultimate Guide To Golf.

Mornington Peninsula top 10 Golf Courses

Mornington Peninsula Food

The Mornington Peninsula is world known for its local produce and food including hearty pies, jams, chutneys, preserves, wine and olive oils. The following is some of the best local produce available on the Mornington Peninsula.


Red Hill Kitchen
69 Prossors Lane, Red Hill has just baked goodies waiting to be eaten. Using local produce from the kitchen garden, the kitchen`s hearty pies - duck, chicken, rabbit or fish, savoury and sweet tarts, sausage rolls, pates, dips, biscuits, jams, chutneys and preserves are worth the detour. Red Hill Kitchen is open Wed-Sun from 10am to 4.30pm.

Red Hill Baker
Red Hill Baker at the Red Hill South shops uses traditional methods for all breads, including the signature wine bread. Try a Nepalese lamb curry, beef and shiraz or duck with five-spice pies, and the Cornish pasties. Red Hill Baker is open Sun-Thur from 8am to 6pm and Fri-Sat from 8am to 10pm.

The Tasting Station
Sample delicious local produce at The Tasting Station located at 1489 Pt Nepean Rd, Rosebud. Open daily from 10am to 5pm .

Stringers Stores of Sorrento
Stringers Stores of Sorrento located at 2-8 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento, stocks local produce and wines, and serves coffee and food to go. Open Sun-Thur from 8am to 5.30pm and Fri-Sat from 8am to 6pm (later in the summer).

Just Fine Food
Just Fine Food opposite Stringers Stores of Sorrento at 23 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento, sells the most beautiful vanilla slices and other goodies. Open Mon-Fri from 9am to 4pm and Sat-Sun from 9am to 5pm.

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The Japanese Garden

The Japanese Garden design is considered a form of high art in Japan with many Japanese gardens now among the most impressive and internationally respected designs in the world. The Japanese Garden has its roots in the ancient Chinese forms but has taken this one step further. There are three basic types of gardens in Japanese Garden design.

Japanese Gardens are epitomised by kare sansui, or gardens that feature ambiguously shaped rocks in raked gravel. The best know of these gardens is Ryoan-ji in Kyoto. A typical characteristic of Japanese Gardens is the non use of straight lines or symmetry, instead the gardens are a miniaturisation of the Japanese landscape. Another characteristic is the art of incorporating meandering paths which lead the viewer through a carefully controlled set of scenes. The third basic type of garden is the tea garden, or chaniwa. This garden supports the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, both as a backdrop and a place to conduct the ceremony.

Bonsai is the art of growing trees, or woody plants shaped as trees, in containers. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small trees from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques such as pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full sized trees

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Mornington Racecourse Market

The Mornington Racecourse Market is on again this Sunday, May 9th from 9am to 2pm. The Market offers the best of local food including vegetables, fruit, free range eggs, cheeses, olive oil, honey, jams, pasta, meats, chutneys, spices, bread, cakes, and much more.

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Mornington Peninsula Markets

Mornington Peninsula Attractions

The Mornington Peninsula has the lot of attractions: beautiful surf and bay beaches, undulating vine and orchard covered hills, comfortable beach shacks and exclusive Portsea and Sorrento cliff top mansions, plus old fashioned bathing boxes and thriving towns with village atmospheres. Add vineyard restaurants, excellent local produce including wine, beer, olives and seafood, impressive wineries, championship golf courses, pastoral landscapes and dramatic seascapes.
Now, with the summer`s crowds gone is the perfect time for a weekend away on the Mornington Peninsula. The Mornington Peninsula has long been known for its superb food, wine and scenery and its all just a one-hour drive from the heart of Melbourne. The following are some of the highlights the Mornington Peninsula has to offer.
Peninsula Hot Springs Bath House and Spa Center
Peninsula Hot Springs is located on Springs Lane, Rye and is located between St Andrews Beach and Rosebud. The Center is Victoria`s first natural hot springs and draws water from an aquifer 637m underground. It has undergone a major expansion and now has 34 new bathing experiences, including a kids zone. Peninsula Hot Springs is open 7:30am to 10pm.

Cape Schanck Lighthouse
Built in 1859, the Cape Schanck Lighthouse at the southern end of the Mornington Peninsula, has a rare stone spiral staircase. Day tours of the lighthouse cost $14 an adult, $12 a child or $38 a family plus admission into an on-site museum. Accommodation is also available in the former lighthouse keeper`s cottage for $150 a room a night.

Ellisfield Farm
Ellisfield Farm is an authentic, pick your own fruit farm experience! Sweet cherries are available from late November to early January. Sour (Morello) cherries throughout January and quinces in Autumn. Enjoy morello cherry balsamic vinegar, morello cherry fortified wine, preserved quince slice, cherry ice cream, and assorted jams. Open 9am to 4pm, Dec-Jan. Feb–Nov by appointment. 109 McIIroys Road, Red Hill (Mel Ref: 191 E1)

Flinders Farm
Flinders farm prides itself on producing perfect tomatoes that not only look great but smell and taste like real tomatoes too! Normal round, roma and cherry varieties are all available – all with exceptional flavour. Flinders Farm tomatoes are sold by the bag at the farmgate through an honesty system. Open 9:30am to 5:30pm, 7 days a week. 2071 Boneo Road, Flinders (Mel Ref: 261 D9)

Green Olive at Red Hill
Green Olive at Red Hill is a boutique olive grove and vineyard located in the heart of Red Hill. Rich red fertile soil and Red Hill rain water are the key ingredients for the exquisite Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oils, table olives and tantalizing jams and relishes. Open 11am to 4pm weekends and public holidays. Farm Gate: 1180 Mornington Flinders Rd, Red Hill (Mel Ref: 190 D7)

Ashcombe Maze & Lavender Gardens
Ashcombe Maze is Australia`s oldest & largest traditional hedge maze. Stunning lavender labyrinth & circular rose maze with 1200+ rose bushes. Enjoy a light lunch in the fully licensed cafe or indulge in homemade cakes, scones and biscuits. Wander the 25 acres of gardens on a self guided garden discovery trail or just browse the gift shop for gourmet goodies. Open from 10am to 5pm, 7 days a week. 15 Shoreham Road, Shoreham (Mel Ref: 256 E4)

Monkey Park Japan

Monkey Park Japan also called Nihon Monkey Park close to Inuyama is located on a hillside, surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the Kisogawa River. The park covers 500,000 square meters, and is crammed with such attractions as the Atomic roller coaster: `Canyon Splash`, a thrilling carpet ride: `Eagle Coaster`, a large Ferris wheel from which you can see four castles, and a merry-go-round. Adults as well as children can have a great time.
One day passport which includes admission fee and free tickets for attraction is a popular way to enjoy the park. The park also houses the Japan Monkey Center, which is a unique primates museum with about a thousand different types of primates from all over the world.


Hours: Open Every Day
9:30-17:00 Mar 1-Jul 19 and Sep 1-Nov 30
9:30-18:00 Jul 20-Aug 31
9:30-16:30 Dec 1-end Feb
• Close Wed, Thurs , Fri. of 4th week in Jan.
• Admission: High School & over Yen 1,500 / Junior High, Elementary School students Yen 800 / Infants (3yrs old or older) Yen 600
• Getting There: 4 min by monorail from Inuyama Yuen (Meitetsu Inuyama line)
• Information: Japan Monkey Park Recreation center 0568-61-0870 / Zoo 0568-61-2327

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

Meiji Mura

At Meiji Mura Museum, 20 minutes by bus from Inuyama Station you can see more than 60 Meiji-era buildings brought together from all over Japan. The clash of architectural styles on display, both Western and Japanese provides a sense of that period`s cultural schizophrenia. You will need at least half a day to enjoy the place at an easy pace. Admission is 1600 yen and it is open from 9:30 am to 5pm. Buses depart every 20 minutes from Inuyama Station (380 yen). Meiji Mura Japan is definitely an attraction worth checking out.

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Little World Japan

Little World Japan close to Inuyama is a themepark dedicated to the world. You can see 22 countries houses ranging from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Germany, Italy and France. You can also eat and buy food, accessories and products from those countries. I highly recommend the Sri Lankan Curry, Okinawan donuts, and German beer and sausages. There is sometimes a small circus troupe that perform there. All this you can enjoy in a day at Little World Japan.

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Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

This month's Easy Japanese Cooking recipe is Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)


Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

1 chicken thigh
1 garlic clove (minced)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Japanese cooking sake
1 tbsp Japanese mirin
1 thumb size piece of ginger (minced)
½ cup corn flour

1. Cut chicken into bite size pieces
2. Mix together the garlic, soy sauce, sake, mirin and ginger to make the marinade.
3. Add the chicken to the marinade mixture and marinade for about 30 minutes.
4. Drain the chicken pieces from the marinade mixture and cover the chicken pieces with the corn flour.
5. Deep fry in vegetable oil at 170 degrees until golden brown.

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