I’ve never been to Japan. As lovely and enchanting as the Land of the Rising Sun is, it’s never really big on my Must-see-before-I-die list. There’s the cost reason, of course. Things are astronomically expensive over there compared to Malaysia. A bowl of noodles in Japan costs at least ten times more than it does here. And then there’s the language barrier any foreign tourists would face if they don’t speak or read Japanese. It’s definitely a country that would be hard explore as an independent traveller without a Japanese speaking friend to bring you around.

There is a third reason why I am not booking the next flight to Japan. Why bother splurging a huge chunk of my moolah on travelling costs and enroll myself in a Japanese language course when Japan is right at my backdoor? Okay, I may have exaggerated just a tad here. The Japan I’m referring to is the Japanese Garden at Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. So, it’s not exactly at my backdoor but it’s just under an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur. Compared to the real Japan, it’s practically only a hop and a skip away from my abode.

It’s one of the main pulling factors for my rather regular visits to Bukit Tinggi. As for authenticity, it’s the first of its kind outside Japan. This is as close as you can get to the country itself, short of going directly there. Situated 3,500 feet above sea level, the air is refreshingly cool and crisp. Everywhere you look, there are trees and plants all around. It’s such a surreal experience walking on the nicely pebbled paths amidst all that greenery. Now Japanese folks are huge fans of water and celebrate many water festivals in their homeland. At the Japanese Garden, the love for water is represented by the man-made waterfall, a koi pond and the gentle stream – all which made picturesque backdrops for photo taking. Plenty of folks visit the garden armed with at least a point and shoot camera while a growing number lug their dSLRs and tripods along.

Not to be outdone, I would bring my camera along for every trip there. No matter how many times I’ve been to the Japanese gardens, there’s always something new to capture. There’s the beguiling botanical garden with breathtakingly exquisite flowers and plants not commonly seen in warmer terrains. A quaint little Japanese hut is also there for people to creep into and pose for pictures. You can even rent a Kimono on a half-hourly basis and pose all you want around the garden. How’s that for a dose of Japanese culture?

And speaking of culture, you should not miss the very strange unique Japanese tea ceremony at the Japanese Tea House, for a fee, of course. According to reliable sources, folks from Japan actually came over to verify the authenticity of this tea ceremony and they affirmed that it was performed correctly to the core. Believe you me, there are a LOT of rules to follow in a Japanese tea ceremony. Heck, they even have 6-month courses for such a thing! It seems that one needs to be certified before being deemed fit to be invited for such a tea ceremony that are held during birthdays and other special occasions.

First, you need to wash your hands at the door step. Upon entering the house of the host, you have to stop to admire the scrolls hung on the wall, the kettle and hearth before taking your place on the tatami mat. You cannot sit anywhere you like for the host will give you the evil eye and put you in your place faster than you can say, “Ichiban!”. Next, the lady of the house will go through the laborious rituals of making tea with traditional tools. Once the tea is served, you can’t gulp it down immediately. You need to rotate and admire the tea bowl before shifting it to your neighbour and ask for permission to drink it.

The tea is both strong and frothy and must be finished in three sips. If it meets your approval, you must make a loud slurpy noise at the end of your third sip. After finishing the tea, you need to admire the tea bowl again. All this admiring business really takes the cake of the strangest customs of the world. There is a good reason to pause and ponder at the beauty of tea bowl’s design – it’s a sign of respect to the host.

Japanese tea ceremonies are very serious occasions. One must be silent most of the time and a typical tea ceremony can last up to 4 hours. My express session with my media friends only took about 20 minutes but even being silent for that long in a ‘tea party’ was rather unbearable. I couldn’t imagine doing something that serious for my birthday. But still, it was a good experience and should be experienced at least once in your lifetime.

To unwind with one of the best Shiatsu massages in town, head over to Tatami Spa. The prices are gobsmackingly expensive but it’s worth every sen. The rooms are carpeted with the signature tatami mat with some of them overlooking a lovely private garden. Only the soothing sounds of flowing water is there to tantalise your ears as you drift off to bliss while being kneaded by the expert hands of the lovely masseurs.

And should hunger pangs strike you after all that walking, tea drinking and massage, there’s no better place to relax and refuel than the Ryo Zan Tei Japanese Restaurant. It’s purported to be the only Japanese restaurant in Malaysia to be shrouded in a tropical rainforest. I love the amazing view the restaurant offered as I chewed on my delicious bento set and sip on the sake. A feast for both the eyes and the stomach, I’d say.

Maybe someday, when I have more spare cash than I know what to do with, I’d go to Japan for real. Until then, Bukit Tinggi’s Japanese Garden suits me just fine.

Someone whom I thought was a friend made a totally out-of-whack and baseless accusation on me behind my back. I was shocked and hurt by this act of betrayal. Friends are supposed to cover each other in love and settle issues privately by first verifying if it’s true. By this particular friend’s action, the message is clear – the person is not interested in keeping the friendship but is lashing out vehemently, not caring how the accusation would have hurt or damaged me.

By God’s grace, I was not around at that time to receive the brunt of the accusation. He put people in place to protect me then and I only found out about this horrible, horrible news very recently. I’m not worried about the accusation because I didn’t do it. And also, not only did my heavenly father protect me, I know that my earthly dad would fight tooth and nail for me, too.

Which is why I didn’t tell him :P

If I did, I can only pity my accuser for my dad would have taught that person a very harsh lesson that will remain for a long, long time – that it never pays to unjustly damage his daughter’s reputation and hurt her feelings.

A good friend who’s a father himself, couldn’t see himself jumping into his child’s defense should someone accuse his child unjustly. To me, it sounds very strange because my definition of a good father would definitely include being a defender to the family. Don’t get me wrong, my friend’s a good father – he is loving and caring to his child. He just thinks that children should be able to stand for their own rights.

And I think that having a dad who believes in me and would do everything to protect me has made me more secure and selective in fighting my own battles. I don’t have to fight every battle or take up every cause that comes my way. I’ve got nothing to prove to my dad or mom. They love me. And if someone ill-treats me, I’ll settle it myself first rather than share it with my dad and get him all huffy and puffy. When I was younger and defenseless, having my dad defend me was a priceless treasure. I can rest easy knowing that I’m not alone against the world. Now that I’m big and can deal with things myself, it still warms my heart knowing that if I should ever need him, he’ll be there for me like a shot.

So, think twice if you ever feel like saying something bad about someone. That someone may have a father like mine. And remember, what goes around, comes around.