Hello guys! As you might have read a few months earlier, I have successfully obtained a driving lesson in Japan, so I have decided to embark on my first ever self-drive trip in Niigata Prefecture!

You can read more about my adventures in Niigata in my previously written articles, but today I am bringing you more amazing attractions of Niigata, just in time for the beautiful autumn season.

Niigata is pretty easy to access from Tokyo, with the shinkansen connecting Tokyo Station to Niigata Station in just a short 2 hours, but for those of you who want to go far and deep like I always do, a self-drive trip would be a perfect choice.

And fret not, I am here to share with you a full 3D2N itinerary traveling in Niigata on the wheels, through the region of Tsubamesanjo, Niigata City and Sado Island.

This blog post is long overdue.

Loving Japan has become the theme of my life. I started journaling this mysterious affection I have, exploring all the possible reasons behind it since over 10 years ago, and you may find all the curious musings here in this page.

Sometimes I do wonder if it is just a facade for me, a way I brand myself so I can set myself apart from a sea of same-looking IG photos on the explore page. Do I really love Japan as much as I claim I do, as seen in the way I express myself on social media?

Today I attempt to do some deep searching on that topic — my love for Japan — decades into it. It is fair that it’s time I re-examine this crazy emotion, and whether I still feel the same as I did 10 years ago.

Hello! *waves at empty stage*

*clears throat* *looks around nervously*

I guess it’s not a surprise that nobody attended this party, since I am assuming everyone of you are stuck between four walls somewhere around the world huh. I mean, even the biggest event of the year for the world – the Tokyo2020 opening ceremony had like, zero spectator, so… I guess it only feels normal that I am standing alone on stage right now, with my sterilised mic, and through my very secure, high functioning made-in-Japan mask (#ad), popping open the confetti and… whispering (because loud voice is prohibited, apparently):

HAPPY 17 ANNIVERSARY.

To this blog. 17 Years old.

Today I am going to dive into the topic of skin care – after a long time!

If you follow me in Instagram, you probably know that lately I have dipped my toes into the curious topics of nutrition, regenerative farming and how they impact one’s health and the overall environment. I started to eat more carefully and responsibly, to the extend of knowing the sources of my food.

And then I thought, if I do so for the food I put in my body, why not do the same for substance I apply on my skin? What exactly goes inside the bottle of the skin care I use? Who made it? How is it made?

That’s the reason I am writing a follow-up entry on DERMED, the skin care I have been using more than a year ago, to find out more stories behind the scene.

If you haven’t read my previous post, DERMED is a Japanese skin care brand headquartered in Fukuoka Prefecture, under the company of Sansho Pharmaceutical with the history over 130 years.

You can read my previous article here about DERMED’s premium skin-lightening product, and my visit to its HQ as well as the factory.

http://cheeserland.com/2020/08/dermed-secret-of-skin-lightening/

Sansho Pharmaceutical has been devoting to developing quality ingredients from raw materials while pursuing both safety and effectiveness for since its foundation. Their main business is to supply high quality ingredients to various other companies, but they also have their own line of exclusive products, and one of them is DERMED.

Today, I want to bring us to more behind-the-scene stories, all the way to the beginning: where the ingredients are grown.

For those of you living in Japan, you may be considering getting a driving license so that you can go on that long awaited dream road trip to Hokkaido cruising along gorgeous lilac lavender fields? I know I did!

I decided to write this article because in order to convert my Singapore driving license to a Japanese one, I had gone through days and days of worries and uncertainties, so I hope that this complete guide will ease some of your anxiety for this rather complex procedure. Note that for some of you lucky b***ards here from a list of certain countries (such as part of USA, UK, some European countries, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand, etc), you are exempted from both the knowledge test and driving test and can have your license converted pretty easily. *jelly* :’) However many of us from ASEAN countries including Singapore and Malaysia are required to go through the entire process.

First of all, a little background story about my intention for the conversion.

I had been holding a Malaysian driving license all my life until I moved to Singapore, and converted it to a Singapore equivalent. In March 2020, I moved to Tokyo when the pandemic hit, and as you know, you are required to drive in Japan with an international license, which you could easily apply from your country before visiting Japan. However, mine has expired, so I haven’t been able to drive in Japan. What’s even more worrying was that in May 2021, I realized that my Singapore driving license itself was expiring this December! Seeing how highly unlikely for me to return to Singapore to renew my driving license, the only way for me to still retain the qualification to maneuver a road vehicle without being sent to the prison a is to convert it into a Japanese driving license. And I did! And boy was it an anxious months-long affair.

Note that once your existing foreign license has expired, you are required to enroll in a driving school from ground zero, which is a very, very tedious, time consuming and expensive process in Japan. So, I had about half a year to have my license converted before being disqualified into a complete noob all over again.

Well, the thing is that converting your foreign license is not so much a straightforward process, even though it is a much, much simplified version compared to acquiring a fresh one from the start.

The procedure of converting a foreign driving license into a Japanese one is called “Gaimen Kirikae” (外免切替), short for “Gaikokumenkyosho Kirikae” (外国免許証切り替え), namely, foreign license conversion.

Steps to converting foreign driving license to a Japanese driving license

It’s been a while since I last wrote. Looking at how the world is still constantly being flipped upside down by the mischief of Rona-chan, while most of us are itching to get on that next flight out of the country for some long-awaited vacay fun, it does look like international traveling is thrown off the window indefinitely for now.

I am sure even people who live in this heaven on earth called Japan (maybe except me aha) are looking forward to explore places outside of the island, as I have been hearing how some of my fellow friends in Japan miss visiting Hawaii, or New York, or Paris…

Statue of Liberty at Odaiba, Tokyo

While it’s hard for me to share the exact sentiment as I think I have lucked out to be stuck on the bestest place on the planet, I do understand the longing for something unfamiliar and exotic once in a while, more so when you are not allowed the freedom to do so.

However, to be honest, after living in Japan for a while now, traveling outside of the country kind of intimidates me. Given how much of a scatterbrain I am, I will probably misplace all my phone, camera and wallet under 1 hour upon arriving a foreign land. And then I am also stressed out about all the bargaining, having to watch your belongings attentively, getting familiar with tipping system, and… unknown hygiene.

And so, I have found the perfect solution for those who are currently stuck in Japan but are looking for a piece of adventure abroad – to travel around the world, IN JAPAN.

That’s right. Japan itself is like a grand version of  Disney’s It’s A Small World – having a plethora of exotic-themed parks and resorts tucked between traditional Japanese setting from all over different prefectures.

I have compiled a list of countries you can travel to, all within Japan in this article, so let’s embark on an epic odyssey to see the world in the comfort of my favorite country!

Let’s go!

This spring, I ventured off to Kagawa prefecture for more new discoveries. I have been to Kagawa in the past twice, in winter and summer. This time around I am back to witness this smallest prefecture of Japan dressed in all spring colors.

Read my previous articles on Kagawa here!

Things have been slowly looking better for Japan and I have spent the first two months of the year busy exploring new places around Japan – virtually or not. The allure of Japan is simply endless. Today, I will be introducing a new itinerary to explore the Central Japan region.

We will be looking at 4 main prefectures: Gifu, Toyama, Ishikawa and Fukui, with Nagoya city as the base for this travel itinerary. The Central Japan Region is a year-round destination that offers an abundance of nature and delicious food every season. My favorite is still winter, though, given the inland of Central Japan gets plenty of snowfall in the colder months, making it a magical wonderland especially for tropical creatures like me!

Plan your next winter holiday in Central Japan by using the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass to enjoy five days of unlimited rides on designated JR local and limited express trains, the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and buses within the Central Region.

You can check some of their highlight spots at the Central Japan Travel Fair specially for Singaporeans!

I am putting together a day-by-day itinerary, including some of the places I have been in the past, and some that I have not and would really love to visit, together with information I hope will be useful for your planning. All of us can’t wait for Japan to open its border again. Here is a sample itinerary that can help you get the most value out of your Takayama-Hokuriku Pass:

… is maybe the title of my next book, if there’s ever another one.

Now that we have entered 2021, I have been creating content for 17 years now. I repeat this every single year, but I still don’t know how anyone manages to keep up with social media, with all that is happening.

Sourcing content and maintaining Instagram alone has kept me busy enough, for I will have to visit new destinations, take non-shitty photos so that it could be edited to a decent level, churn out captions, and at the same time be impromptu to allow a curious peek of a tiny part of my private life on Story and mix things up a little with Reels to kiss Zuck’s ass so he doesn’t kill my engagement and also force myself to conquer my fear of public speaking by going Live once in a while… Also, does anyone even use this new Guide feature?

And ALL of these, is just Instagram alone. ALL OF THESE.

Read my previous posts:

MIE PREFECTURE

GIFU PREFECTURE

NAGOYA CITY

AICHI PREFECTURE

SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE

This is a special post dedicated to Hamamatsu City of Shizuoka prefecture, and also the final post of my Tokai journey. This most populated city of Shizuoka prefecture may be unbeknownst to many travelers who are too eager to make a beeline for the magnificent Mt Fuji, but if you scratch the surface just a little deeper, you will find Hamamatsu itself full of allures with plenty to offer, from the niche legacy for avid musicians to fun resorts for the entire family of all ages. Think avant garde vocaloid keyboard, fresh mandarin-orange-picking, and delicious eels.

Now let’s take a look at some of the city’s many charms.

Read my previous posts:

MIE PREFECTURE

GIFU PREFECTURE

NAGOYA CITY

AICHI PREFECTURE

Today we are exploring the prefecture sitting right between Nagoya and Tokyo – Shizuoka.

Easily accessible from both Nagoya and Tokyo on the Shinkansen (about an hour from Tokyo, and 1.5 hour from Nagoya to arrive at Mishima Station on Hikari Shinkansen), Shizuoka is often my choice of a weekend getaway, with Izu Peninsula being my top pick for its abundance of healing onsen resorts in famous Atami, Ito and Shimoda area.

Shizuoka is also home to Mt Fuji, although its neighbour Yamanashi Prefecture shares half the privilege as the magnificent mountain straddles right between both prefectures.

So let’s take a look at what this lovely prefecture has to offer!

 Izu Peninsula 伊豆半島

Izu was one of my most frequented resort destinations from Tokyo, given how easily accessible it is from the metropolitan. I hopped on a Kodama Shinkansen from Tokyo Station (or Shinagawa Station) and got down at Mishima Station. The journey was barely an hour.

Read my previous posts:

MIE PREFECTURE

GIFU PREFECTURE

NAGOYA CITY

Nagoya has proved itself a charming city that has won a place in my heart, as you have read in my previous article. To think that Nagoya is just one of the many allures Aichi prefecture has to offer, I truly wonder how many lives I will need to eventually see enough of Japan till I tire… (which is never).

I was ashamed how little I know of Aichi before the trip, given how this region holds some of the most significant historic events during the Warring Period in Japan, and is the birth place of the three greatest war heroes ever known in Japan – Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. People in Aichi are not shy to proudly boasts about their home prefecture, and they rightly should!

In this post, let’s look at some other parts of Aichi Prefecture, which are often underrated and completely overshadowed by the dazzles of its glamorous capital city. Hopefully by the end of this post you will be convinced that Aichi is so, so much than just Nagoya.

First, let’s get out of Nagoya! Here are some of the other regions of Aichi I have ventured, including Inuyama, Toyokawa, Gamagori, Nishio, Chita Peninsula and Tokoname.