Author: Hiroshi

Diary from..., Featured, News, Travel

Essential Guide: How to Stay Safe During a Typhoon in Japan – Travel Tips and Resources

Posted on

Traveling in Japan during typhoon season can be overwhelming, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the country’s weather patterns. This guide will help you understand what a typhoon is, how to stay safe, and where to find the latest travel updates. Discover essential resources, safety tips, and what to do with your travel reservations if a typhoon disrupts your plans. What is a Typhoon? Typhoons are similar to hurricanes, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and potential flooding. Typhoon season in Japan typically runs from June to October. When a typhoon approaches, transportation can be disrupted, and outdoor activities may be unsafe. Understanding what to expect will help you stay prepared. General Travel Tips During a Typhoon Essential Weather Resources Once you understand the general situation, use the following resources to track the typhoon’s movement and prepare for any disruptions: How to Prepare and Stay Safe These steps and resources will help you stay informed and prepared during a typhoon in Japan. Keep these links handy, and make sure to stay updated with reliable information throughout your travels. These are general safety tips, but please use advice from the nearby train, hotel, and shop staff. I tried my best to provide the most general advice here but I will not be responsible for any damages caused by the information on this page. About the Author: Hiroshi Iwasaki was a founding member of the Japan Forum for Disaster Mitigation by Youth. He has been actively involved in various disaster mitigation and relief efforts, ranging from local community advocacy to emergency relief during major disasters, including the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Hiroshi also has an extensive background in outdoor activities, from crossing North America by bicycle to achieving the highest ranks in the Boy Scouts. His experiences in disaster management and the outdoors bring a unique perspective to travel safety in Japan.

Airport Lounge, Featured, Life in Shanghai, Travel

Maximizing Travel Benefits: A Comprehensive Review of Delta SkyMiles Amex Gold & China Eastern Airlines Experience (SkyPriority, Dec 2023)

Posted on

I sensed a series of trips to China coming up and decided to sign up for the Delta SkyMiles American Express® Gold Card, which offers SkyTeam Elite Plus status in the first year just for joining. Interestingly, my first business trip ended up being with JAL due to schedule and pricing, but now I finally got the chance to leverage this card. This time, I want to share about the perks I experienced flying from Narita to Shanghai with China Eastern Airlines, utilizing the Delta‘s Gold Medallion = SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits. Please note, the specifics of the perks can vary depending on the flight and operations of the day.

Featured, Life in Shanghai, Travel

Is Shanghai Airlines Part of SkyTeam Alliance? Flight Experience from Tokyo to Shanghai (Feb 2024)

Posted on

This time, I took a flight with Shanghai Airlines (FM) from Haneda, an airport located in Tokyo, to Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG). There wasn’t much information available about using SkyTeam’s SkyPriority, so I thought I’d share my experience. The flight I took was FM896, operated by Shanghai Airlines but ticketed through China Eastern Airlines (MU8634). It seems this flight also has a codeshare with JAL (JL8261).

Featured, Life in Shanghai, Travel

Balancing Business Travel and Healthy Living in Shanghai

Posted on

Last night, I was able to return to my hotel relatively early compared to my previous business trips to China. During my last trip, I gained a significant amount of weight, to the point where I ran out of clothes to wear and had to buy a new suit locally—a foolish mistake I regret. So, this time, I am reflecting on the need to be more cautious, especially as the number of Japanese business travelers increases towards the latter part of the trip. Creating a rhythm in the early stages feels crucial to success. Since I returned early yesterday, I had some time to relax at the hotel before considering going out for dinner. However, I ended up searching for “light meals” on a delivery app called 「美团」(Meiduan, I think) that I found before departing Japan. Eating in Shanghai is relatively familiar to Japanese people, and it’s hard not to indulge. As you might guess when thinking of Chinese cuisine, there’s a plethora of carbohydrate-rich menus, and almost 100% of them are inextricably linked with oil, leading to a diet high in carbs and fats. Lunches, which are usually just convenience store salads or whole grain rice balls, become a valuable time to interact with local staff, so I end up consuming more calories. Dinners, shared with other Japanese colleagues for exchanging information, also tend to exceed my calorie limit, as was the case last time. For dinner this time, I ordered the dish shown in the photo, 「西冷牛排紫薯杂粮谷物碗」(Xīlěng niúpái zǐshǔ zálǐang gǔwù wǎn, meaning “Sirloin steak with purple sweet potato and mixed grain bowl”). It was delicious. The price was around CNY50, or about USD7, so it was very healthy to my wallet too! Besides dinner, I also managed to resist temptations for breakfast and lunch yesterday, keeping my calorie intake quite low. I hope to continue managing my calorie balance in the days to come. In addition to calorie management, I also accomplished tasks that are usually challenging to start: strength training, two types of studies, and output—which are part of this year’s goals. In that sense, it was a highly satisfying day. However, the main purpose of the business trip still poses uncertainties, so I need to keep up on the business side too!

Goodnote6-copyng
Productivity

Goodnotes6 unable to copy & paste :: Workaround for copying your page [Dec 2023]

Posted on

Goodnotes6 has been invaluable for organizing my daily tasks and work notes. I mainly use it on my iPad. However, in the past few days, I’ve encountered issues with copying pages and objects, leading to a frustrating loop of unresponsiveness. After reaching out to Goodnotes support, I learned that there has been a significant increase in similar reports. They are currently investigating the issue as of December 19, 2023. For me, while copying and pasting individual objects can be managed by recreating them, not being able to copy pages poses a major problem. Therefore, I’ve explored some workarounds. [Workaround] How to Copy Pages as of Now Currently, it’s not possible to copy and paste pages directly from the top right of the page. However, you can do this from the page thumbnail screen. 1. Select the Thumbnail Button from the Top Left of the Page 2. In the Thumbnail Screen, Choose ‘Select’ from the Top Right 3. Choose ‘Duplicate’ from the Bottom Right of the Thumbnail of the Page You Want to Copy Note that if you want to copy and paste multiple pages, you can do so by selecting several pages in succession after performing step 2. Hope this helps.

Life in Penang, Productivity

How to show only specific language from the Google Search Result

Posted on

When I search in this situation, for example, as shown below, I search for “Notion 整理” (means Notion Organization) and want to read the description in Japanese, but due to the geographical information and keywords, an article in Chinese, which I do not expect, may appear at the top of the list. In my Google search language settings, English, Chinese, and Japanese are selected.