Things One Learns After Two Weeks in Japan

... from the perspective of a Malaysian Muslim, that is...

McDonald's is a big No-No. One can:t even buy fries and Filet-O-Fish because they are all fried using lard. And darn - the fries smell so good... I know because the eki (train station) nearby my dorm is located right in front of one McDonald's outlet.

No, you can't buy fries or burgers at KFC or Mos Burger too. Something about the shortening used in their bread or the oil used or the mixing of everything.

A lot of Yoshinoya are open 24/7, but it goes without saying that I can't eat there.

But Tenya or Saizeriya are okay. There are almost always one or two outlets of Tenya or Saizeriya in major areas, and most sempai (seniors) welcome the newcomers by giving a treat for the newcomers at either Tenya or Saizeriya. Or if one gets lucky like me - (I got a treat each at) both.

If you have lots of money, don't fret about needing stuff at anytime of the day. There are plenty of konbinis (convenience stores) open 24/7 everywhere. From my last eki to daigaku (university), I pass by almost 10 konbinis. There's sunKus, Lawson, Family Mart, ampm, Daily Yamazaki and the familiar old 'sebeng erebeng' (7 Eleven)

But if you don't have that much money, shop at 100 yen Store or 99 Shop. After all, why waste money to buy an umbrella for 500 yen in a konbini when a slightly smaller version could be purchased at the 100 yen store? Besides, nowadays many 99 Shop are also open 24/7.

One does not need to know a lot of Japanese words to shop.　Just pile up what we need and then pay accordingly. Should we need to ask for something out of reach, pointing to that thing and saying "Sore, onegai shimasu" would suffice.

Take the English version of Tokyo map everywhere. The one with train and subway eki names. It really is helpful for those who can't read kanji characters but still need to know how much to pay for the ticket.

Take the English version of the daigaku map everywhere. One never know when one just might need it - especially during the first month and one's still trying to find her ways here and there.

Bring a Nihon-go fluent companion who can also writes kanji character well when one needs to deal with the public office (Alien registration, National Health insurance, Family registration, etc) or open a bank account.

Don't take any 9.00 o'clock class if one can help it (but alas in my case, I have no choice) because that means one has to take early trains. The trains are packed to the max in early morning that the phrase `packed line a can of sardine' just take a whole new meaning. And yes - the case is often worse than what one used to endure in a KL bas mini.

The Halal Food Store is a place to get halal meat and stuff you seldom find elsewhere like Kicap Tamin, Indomie instant food, Indofood instant seasoning, Roti Pratha and Thai rice. Thai rice usually suits the Malaysians' taste buds better than their Japanese counterparts and yes - they cost a whole lot cheaper too (1000 yen per 5kg as against 2000 yen per 5kg for Japanese rice)

The Halal Food store could also be where one gets to meet and make friends with other Malaysians living in the same area.

The Halal Food store is also the best place to buy value-for-money international prepaid calling cards as opposed those cards sold in konbini. KDDI Super International Calling Card sold in konbinis for 1000 yen for example, allow only 23 minutes talk time for calls made to Malaysia. Tokyo No 1 Calling Card sold in the Halal Food Store for 2100 yen allows 5 hours talk time.

Many bread sold at the konbinis could not be eaten due to the animal product contained in the shortening. Depending on who you believe, some sempai will advise to go for Yamazaki pan and some will advise you to buy it from a bakery which use vegetable oil and plant-based shortening. But most seem to agree that Pasco products are a big No-No.

The display and smell emitting from the many bakeries are splendid. Even a simple Green Farm kiosk selling waffles at Shibuya eki could outdo any La Manila or Secret Recipe outlet in KL. But alas, one could never be too sure of the shortening used - so, just see, no touch.

Memorising a few important kanji characters like buta (pig/pork), o-sake and mirin could be beneficial.

Having a paper and pen handy and ability to draw well could be beneficial should the need arise to communicate something to non-English speaking Japanese.