As no programme was planned for the morning, there was no need to get up as early as usual. We commuted via the monorail and train to Hachioji. The one thing common at all train stations are the rows of neatly parked bicycles. I have seen more bicycles than motorcycles all the places I went. Walkways in Tokyo are wide and very bicycle-friendly.

It was a short ride from Manganji to Takahatafudo. The sun was shinning brightly but the temperature was chilly. The elevator could only fit one wheelchair. One by one, we waited for our turn to get to the ground level, proceed to the Keio Line Takahatafudo Station and catch the train to Hachioji.

At the station, we had to take the Garavanta down the stairs. There were no elevators. At the other end of the tunnel, we took another Garavanta up to reach the platform. This was a routine we performed every evening coming back from Hachioji. It took the three of us about thirty minutes to move from the platform to the station entrance.

The Station Master at the Keio Hachioji was already waiting for us when we arrived. When the door opened, he placed the ramp to enable our wheelchairs to disembark from the train. This is the efficiency of the rail system in Tokyo. Whenever we board the train, the Station Master would place the ramp for us to get into the train and then inform the arriving station where another ramp would be ready and waiting for us.

This is where the Human Care Association is located. We spent nearly two weeks here learning the Independent Living Programme for People with Disabilities. What have we learnt? We were enlightened with the fact that with a proper support system, even the most severely physically impaired person can achieve independent living. This is what we will be bringing back to Malaysia and set in motion a transformation that will liberate many of our peers.

We spent the morning preparing our report for JICA Japan. An evaluation of our training was scheduled for the afternoon. After lunch, Ishizaka-san from JICA together with Akiyama-san and Tsutsumi-san listened while each of us presented our report for the Evaluation Meeting. On the whole, we were happy with the training. We had learnt more than we had expected. The staff of Human Care Association, Centre for Independent Living Hino, Machida Human Network and HANDS Setagaya had been more than generous in imparting their knowledge to us. Additionally, JICA and JICE had made sure that all our other needs were looked after. At the end of the meeting, Ishizaka-san presented us with a certificate from JICA. Tsutsumi-san presented us each with a present. She also passed to me a button hooked made by Hippie-san especially for me. With that, I can now wear clothes with button.

Human Care Association had planned a Farewell Party for us later in the evening. With some time to kill, I went to the welfare shop nearby to look for a gel cushion accompanied by Maejima-san. Welfare shops like this sell assistive aids for various kinds of disabilities and also for the elderly. The shop, unfortunately, did not stock the cushion. I had to place an order if I wanted it. I decided to look for one back in Malaysia instead. After the welfare shop, we then headed to the ¥100 shop to do some last minute shopping.

Japanese hospitality is one that will be difficult to forget. We were treated to a scrumptious array of food from authentic Japanese fare to pizza and pasta. Present at the party were Nakahishi-san, Nakahara-san, Akiyama-san, Tsutsumi-san, Maejima-san, Satio-san and PA Coordinators and staff of Human Care Association. We were requested to present a song and we sang Rasa Sayang, a traditional Malay song. In reciprocation, staff of Human Care Association sang a Japanese folk song and the Japanese version of If You Are Happy And You Know It. This final evening was great fun where we chatted freely about anything and everything. Again, we were present with presents each, this time by the Human Care Association.

When it was time to leave, we got together for a group photo. This will be one experience that I will never forget. We spent two wonderful weeks learning things that changed our lives as people with disabilities forever. We were well taken care of and all our needs were fully looked after. Japan is a beautiful country with beautiful polite people. It is difficult not to want to come back here again.

A picture paints a thousand words. Most of us do not have the brains to remember many beautiful one thousand words that cross our path everyday. This is the very reason why digital cameras have been selling like hotcakes the past several years. People who would not normally use a camera took to this new gadget like ducks to water. Many a memory has been kept alive by the convenience of a digital camera handily stored in a waist pouch or handbag.

Some of those images are irreplaceable. I have many. They deserve to be kept for posterity in something more fitting than in plastic pockets of generically gaudy photo albums. A local company has come out with the innovative idea to keep those memories alive in specially bounded photobooks. Now, everyone can self-publish their handiwork in a professional way. This is something I would have loved to do with a number of the selected images in my collection. Therefore when James asked if I was interested in reviewing the photobook, I readily agreed.

Pixart (M) Sdn Bhd was incorporated in 2005, when an enterprising group of friends saw the need to create a more attractive and professional way to display photos. Based in Kuala Lumpur, we have continued to grow with consumer and market demands. We are the first PhotoBook provider in Malaysia, and in keeping with our trailblazing nature, look out for even more cool products soon.

They have developed a software to make publishing photobooks simple. The free program, called Photostylist, must be downloaded and installed into the computer. This is all hassle-free and simple. After that, it is all a breeze. All that is needed are four simple steps. The first is to select the digital images. It is advisable to copy all the digital images first into a folder and work from there. There are several templates to choose from and photos can be dragged, resized, cropped, rotated and tuned. After the selected images have been fitted into the templates, the penultimate step is to create a title page. The image selected should represent the theme of the entire photobook.

When all that is done, the last step is to fill up the form and send the file to Pixart for processing and printing. Payment can be made securely via credit cards online. Pixart is also flexible with other modes of payment. It will take about five days from the time the order is made to the time the photobook is delivered by courier via PosLaju.

The package that arrived was well padded. The items inside remain unscathed. I selected maroon woven fabric for the cover. I love maroon. Other available colours are black, grey and navy blue. Brown synthetic leather is the other choice. A stand was included. The quality of the stitching was good. The quality of the printing is almost equal to coffee table book. My only gripe is that I could not open the book easily due to the way it was bound. I am not one to succumb to the commercialisation of special occasions but I have no qualms in recommending this as a Valentine’s Day gift in place of exorbitantly priced roses. This is one gift that will be remembered for a long time.

Update - Reply from Pixart:
With regards to the way the photo book is binded, the paper could be a bit stiff at the start (as we are using thicker paper). Please press down the paper at the area where it meets the spine of the book when opened to have the book totally open up. We use stitch book binding which is a method that is better than using glue.

My application for the training in Bangkok entailed submitting a medical report to the Thai Embassy. I did not have sufficient time to do that before going to Tokyo. Last Saturday, Wuan and I went to Hospital Pantai Indah at Pandan Indah for the health screening. Blood and urine specimen were taken followed by the medical examination by Dr. Lim, Physician and Nephrologist. We had a brief exchange about the condition of my kidneys too. Wuan had to go back to collect the medical report as it was half day and they tests were not completed yet.

Wuan and I went over to Esquire Kitchen for lunch. We had wanted to eat yee sang but it was a little too expensive and we had deep fried wantan and a vegetarian stir fried vegetables. I ate my portion of protein for that meal although it as a little difficult seeing how long it has been since my last feast in a restaurant.

We also took the opportunity to do a survey on accessibility around Pandan Indah town centre. The verdict is that the entire town is not accessible to wheelchair users. The slope leading to the walkways were too steep. The kerb of the slope was more than 2cm above the road. These two factors would make it very difficult and dangerous for a wheelchair user alone to traverse. Wuan had to push me along the road which made it even more dangerous with cars and heavy vehicles speeding by just a few meter or two from us. With time to kill, we went shopping at The Store and Fajar Supermarket. That was a change from the frequent shopping at Carrefour and Jusco at Mid Valley Megamall.

There was one particular restaurant at Pandan Indah that Wuan highly recommended. She had stayed there for a period. Restoran Hiong Pan was almost full when we arrived for dinner. We took a table at the far end of the corridor and ordered yee sang, venison and stir fried vegetable – taboo food but an auspicious day like that called for a mini celebration. According to Chinese traditions, the seventh day after the new Spring is Yan Yat. It is a celebration of humanity. The mood of the Chinese New Year was slowly coming back to me although a little too late for me to enjoy it fully.

Sunday was basically spent lazing around the Hino Experience Room. We were all worn out from last evening’s misadventures. This being the first day of the Chinese New Year, we decided to celebrate it by getting Calvin to cook up a feast and invite our Japanese friends to join us for dinner. Cook up a feast Calvin did. Akiyama-san came with her PA together with Sato-san, Director of Japan Council in Independent Living Centres. A short while later, Wakasugi-san, PA Coordinator for Human Care Association arrived, followed by Maejima-san and Saito-san. Much later, another PA Coordinator whose name I cannot recall now arrived. After dinner, we shared the traditions and culture of the Chinese New Year and the similarities of other festivals that are celebrated in Japan. The surprise of the evening was when Akiyama-san and Maejima-san gave us each a present respectively. I got a mouse pad from Akiyama-san while Maejima-san gave me a box of chocolates and a Daruma doll. Despite my gloom earlier in the day, the new Spring turned out to be a jovial one.

Camwhoring was easy, thanks to Canon Powershot A610’s Vari-angle LCD and two-second timer, and Jolene who initiated me into this shameless art. It was a Saturday. Weekends are free days. The group decided to go sightseeing to Tokyo Tower and then to Asakusa for some last minute shopping. First we had to take the Monorail from Manganji to Takahatafudo, catch the Keio Line all the way to Shinjuku.

The ride to Shinjuku took thirty minutes. I always looked forward to such long trips in the train as there were many interesting sights along the way. It is so true when they say that the joys are in the journey, not the destination. There were times when I felt claustrophobic being in the midst of endless streams of people inside the railway complexes. The view outside the train, on the other hand, provided some serene relief from the hectic programmes we have been following during weekdays.

To reach Kuramae our final destination before Tokyo Tower, we took the Toei Oedo Subway. We were supposed to survey the Oedo Subway on our field trip to Machida but that was cancelled because of the heavy snowfall that time. We had to take several elevators to reach the subway station.

The air was chilly the moment we got out from the subway station. Just around the corner, Tokyo Tower rose up like a showy version of the Eiffel Tower in red and white. It was not exactly an impressive structure. What fascinated me was the stark contrast between the tower and the deep blue and cloudless sky in the background.

The tower was built atop a small hill. It took quite an effort for Calvin to push me up the slope. There was a small temple just before the top. Japan is such an interesting mishmash of a highly advanced society that still hold strong to traditions. It is not unusual to find a temple or shrine (I do not know the difference) nestled among modern high rise buildings in busy downtown Tokyo.

While the rest of them went up to the main observation deck, I hung around gift shops at the lower level. Entry to the main observation costs Y820. I figured that since I have not bothered to visit KL Tower, there is no reason why I should pay that amount of money to do the same thing in Japan. There was a Hello Kitty shop selling a vast range of authentic items. I got a few handphone cords for Wuan. Those are not for sale outside Japan and they were rather expensive.

At a road junction somewhere to the Asakusa Kannon Temple, we came across life-size figures of Doraemon and Ultraman, among others. I grew up watching Ultraman battling giant alien monsters on television and reading Doraemon comics. I as naturally excited to see these figures here in Tokyo.

The Kaminari-mon is the outer gate of the Asakusa Kannon Temple. It was situated at a busy intersection. A huge red lantern hung at the doorway. After that, 200 meters of stalls lined the paved walkway called Nakamise offering handicrafts and Japanese snacks. This reminded me of the bazaars at Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang and Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur.

We got lost on the way back to Kuramae Station. The temperature was dropping. Unfortunately, Harry’s electric wheelchair ran out of power. Calvin and Kim had to take turn to push us and look for the station. It was a great relief when we finally found the station after going back and forth along the road in that condition for more than one hour. While Harry charged his wheelchair batteries at the station, we were glad to be able to get away from the cold. At the Keio Shinjuku Station, the Station Master allowed us to ride in the women only car back to Takahatafudo. Yes, the car was packed to the brim with women returning home from Shinjuku!