THE AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY THE LIFE AND WORKS OF ADNAN OKTAR

THE AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY

THE LIFE AND WORKS OF ADNAN OKTAR

August 2007

Born in Ankara in 1956, Adnan Oktar writes his books under the pen name of Harun Yahya. He is a world-renowned man of ideas. Ever since his university years, he has dedicated his life to telling of the existence and oneness of Almighty Allah, to disseminating the moral values of the Qur’an, to the intellectual defeat of materialist and atheist ideologies, to propagating the real Ataturk way and to defending the permanence of the state and the unity of the nation. He has never wavered in the face of difficulties and despite oppression from materialist, Darwinist and separatist circles, still continues this intellectual struggle today exhibiting great patience and determination.

A short biography of Adnan Oktar:

The forebears of Adnan Oktar, a sayyid, migrated to the Caucasus during Hulagu’s invasion, and subsequently sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire during the Ottoman-Russian and Russian-Caucasian wars, settling in Bala, Ankara.

The origins of Beslen Arslan Kasayev, grandfather of Omer Bey, Mr. Oktar’s grandfather, go back to the Nogay dynasty. This family is also known as the Arslanogullari (the sons of Arslan) and is one of the twenty-one sayyid families whose names appear in a document prepared for the Caucasus governorship in 1827.

Information concerning the surnames and family members of the Nogay sayyids living in the Kara Nogay and Yediskul region

Photocopy of an original document dated 17 July, 1827, in the Russian Federation Stavropol Federal Archive. Archive No. 48, Vol. 2, File No. 853. This historical document contains details of the identities and families of the Nogay sayyids living in the Kara Nogay and Yediskul regions. The record concerning Beslen Arslan, the grand grandfather of Adnan Oktar and his family appear under No. 3 in the list. Mr. Oktar’s grandfather, Omer Bey, was born in the Caucasus and settled in the Ankara township of Bala in 1902. Omer Bey’s father was Haji Yusuf, and Haji Yusuf’s father is Beslen Arslan (Kasayev) recorded as a sayyid in the Russian archive.

	Family Members
NAME AND FAMILY	Male	Female
1. Nugay Kaplanov and family	4	3
2. Yusuf Ali Aysoltanov and family	2	5
3. BESLEN ARSLAN KASAYEV AND FAMILY	2	4
4. Han Muhambet Ismailov and family	3	-
5. Muhambet Kantemirov and family	8	9
6. Mengligirey Tilenchiyev and family	3	-
7. Yanseyit Abdullayev and family	2	4
8. Gazi Inal Batirburzayev and family	5	7
9. Hayati Ahmetov and family	3	3
10. Nemin Yasenbi Adjiyev and family	8	5
11. Alibey Mamayev and family	3	3
12. Musousov and family	2	3
13. Alibek Soltanaliyev and family	4	-
14. Bekmurza Karamurzayev and family	3	2
15. Aslangirey Temirhanov and family	3	3
16. Alibey Temirov and family	2	3
17. Ali Mamayev and family	3	1
18. Beymurza Isterekov and family	4	3
19. Tausultan Temirhanov	7	-
20. Mamay Arslanov and family	1	-
21. Magomet Utepov and family	3	3
Total number of individuals	75	61

Adnan Oktar’s father is listed as Yusuf Oktar Arslan in official records. The surname Arslan also appears in Russian records.

YOU CAN READ MR. ADNAN OKTAR'S GENEALOGY FROM HERE >>> One of Mr. Adnan Oktar's photos from his elementary school years Born in Ankara in 1956, Adnan Oktar lived there through his high school years. During this period, his devotion to Islamic moral values grew even stronger. He deepened his profound knowledge of Islam by reading works of all the great Islamic scholars and decided to tell everyone about Islam’s moral values and summon them to a knowledge of truth and beauty. To continue his education, he entered Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan University in 1979 coming in third from among thousands of candidates. Mr. Oktar, a talented artist since childhood who regards art as a manifestation of Allah’s superior creation, painted surrealist pictures from time to time and gave away a large number of paintings as gifts to friends. In addition, Mr. Oktar numbers animals, plants and flowers among his spheres of interest, as well as horticulture, interior design, and décor. ADNAN OKTAR DESCRIBES HOW HE SPENDS HIS DAYS >>> THE MIMAR SINAN YEARS April 2007 When Adnan Oktar entered Mimar Sinan University, it was under the influence of various illegal Marxist-communist organizations. Aggressive atheist and materialist trends predominated among students as well as the academic staff. Indeed, some members of the teaching staff would seize every opportunity to propagandize on behalf of materialist philosophy and Darwinism, even though these subjects had nothing to do with the curriculum. This environment accorded religion and moral values no respect, and rejected them almost entirely. The materialist view predominated. But Adnan Oktar began telling those around him of the invalidity of Darwinism, of the existence and oneness of Allah, and was the only person who prayed openly in the Molla Mosque, adjacent to the university. THE MIMAR SINAN YEARS IN ADNAN OKTAR'S OWN WORDS >>> November 2006 At night—as his mother, Mediha Oktar, relates—Adnan Oktar would sleep only a few hours and spend the rest of his time reading, taking notes and writing. He read hundreds of works including those dealing with Marxism, Leninism, Maoism, communism and materialist philosophy, and carried out detailed studies of the classics as well as more seldom-read texts. He also performed wide-ranging research into the theory of evolution—the alleged scientific foundation of these ideologies. Mr. Oktar collected considerable quantities of documents and detailed information revealing the increasing dilemmas faced by these superstitious philosophies—their quandaries, contradictions and falsehoods, all based on a denial of Allah—and used his accumulated knowledge to invite people to reality and truth. He spoke to everyone, university students and staff alike, about the existence and oneness of Allah and the moral values of the Qur’an. In conversations at the university canteen, and in breaks between classes, he outlined the deceptions of materialism and Darwinism, citing direct quotations from these ideologies’ original texts. These cultural activities of Mr. Oktar's had a great impact, and positive changes took place in the ideological thinking and beliefs of a great many people, including some members of the academic staff. Adnan Oktar attached special importance to refuting the theory of evolution. That was because he saw that ever since Darwinism’s first appearance, it had been subsumed by materialism and atheism. Aware that today, those same circles are still defending Darwinism and striving to keep it alive for ideological reasons, Adnan Oktar believes that eradicating Darwinism will hand those movements a major defeat. THE FIRST PAMPHLET TO DEAL DARWINISM A BODY BLOW August 2005 To that end, Adnan Oktar concentrated on proving the invalidity of this deception that for more than a century had turned people away from religious moral values. He realized that since Darwinism advanced itself in the name of science, the most effective means of revealing its true face was through science itself. Based on that viewpoint, he brought out a pamphlet entitled The Theory of Evolution, a summary of his wide-ranging research and study, and personally bore all the printing costs by selling property inherited from his family, and distributed the pamphlet free of charge to other university students. Using an accessible and comprehensible style, this pamphlet demonstrated that evolution was a deception, with no scientific validity. Many people who read the pamphlet and spoke with Adnan Oktar came to agree that no living thing could come into being by chance, and that Almighty Allah created the universe and all living things in it. Nonetheless some students in the university, blindly devoted to materialist thought, continued in denial, despite having seen the clear truth. Some militant students openly threatened Mr. Oktar, saying his life would be in danger unless he ceased his activities. Yet this only increased Mr. Oktar’s determination and devotion to Allah. The harsh reactions and alarm evinced by materialist circles were significant proof that he was on the right path. In a university in which terror ruled, dominated by atheist and materialist movements, it was very difficult for anyone to freely expound his own views and defend his own beliefs. During those years, while many young people in Turkey were ruthlessly slaughtered because of ideological tensions, Adnan Oktar openly preached the existence and oneness of Allah and of the truth of the Qur’an. In a university where no one had the courage to state his beliefs openly, he continued to pray regularly at the mosque, unwavering in the face of reactions and threats. SPREADING RELIGIOUS MORAL VALUES AT MIMAR SINAN UNIVERSITY When Adnan Oktar began communicating Islamic values, he was quite alone. For more than three years nobody at Mimar Sinan University backed up his views, yet that did not alter his determination. Knowing that Allah was his only friend, he did all these things solely to gain His approval. August 2007 He devoted all his time, energy and means to a single purpose: earning the good pleasure, mercy and Paradise of Allah, and telling all mankind about religious moral values. In 1982, the first few students at Mimar Sinan University decided to align themselves with Adnan Oktar in his intellectual struggle. As months passed, the numbers of people adopting these ideas rose. Adnan Oktar held conversations with these young people on love of country; the importance of following in the great leader Ataturk’s path; the proofs of Creation; the exemplary moral values of our Prophet (saas); the moral values revealed in the Qur’an by our Lord; and the invalidity of materialism, atheism and Darwinism. From this time onward, Adnan Oktar was a vehicle by which many people came to believe and live by the moral values of religion. EXAMPLES OF MESSAGES SENT BY THOSE WHO CAME TO BELIEVE BY WAY OF ADNAN OKTAR'S WORKS >>> September 2007 THE FIRST SMEAR CAMPAIGN AND TORTURE IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL A photo of Mr. Adnan Oktar while he was in Bakirkoy Mental Hospital. His intellectual activities opposing materialism and atheism began to elicit reactions from wider circles. Certain groups, alarmed by Adnan Oktar’s nationalist and religious activities, set up a major conspiracy against him. Their plot coincided with the publication of his work Judaism and Freemasonry, which provoked an enormous response. In the summer of 1986, Adnan Oktar was arrested, with no rightful legal ground whatsoever, for having stated, “I am a member of the Turkish People, and of the Nation of Ibrahim,” in an interview carried by a newspaper. Again under the influence of the circles mentioned above, deceitful reports, groundless information and slanders about him began appearing in various publications. Adnan Oktar was first arrested and imprisoned. He was confined in a one-man cell for nine months. He was then chained by the foot to a bed in the Forensic Medicine Department for 40 days. He was then transferred to the Bakirkoy Mental Hospital on the grounds of being mentally unhealthy and placed under observation in ward 14A, poorly maintained, filthy, and used to house the most dangerous inmates. Ward 14A, which housed 300 mental patients, was in a stone building left over from the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid and could be entered only by passing through a number of locked iron doors, since killings among patients were viewed as nothing out of the ordinary. During Mr. Oktar's time there, seven murders were committed. TO SEE THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH MR. OKTAR WAS HELD AT THE BAKIRKOY MENTAL HOSPITAL… In addition, he was forcibly given drugs blurring consciousness. Those who managed to visit him witnessed that he had lost none of his determination and enthusiasm at this time. Postgraduate students, nurses and even doctors were prohibited from seeing him, out of concerns that he would turn them to Islamic moral values. Shortly afterwards, his relatives and friends were also banned from visiting him, and even telephone calls were forbidden. He was threatened with spending the rest of his life in the hospital unless he abandoned his intellectual activities. Certain circles strongly suggested that if he ceased publication of Judaism and Freemasonry, he could immediately be released from hospital and spend the rest of his life in comfort. Financial incentives were also offered if he would hand over all the book’s research materials. But he rejected all these offers, refusing to bow to the threats and pressure that only enhanced his determination. THE MENTAL HOSPITAL PERIOD IN ADNAN OKTAR'S OWN WORDS >>> After Oktar had been detained for 19 months, the Prosecutor’s Office determined there was “no offence in the statements uttered.” He was declared innocent and released. The report issued by the Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) confirming Adnan Oktar’s SANITY, however, was never once mentioned by the press. After being depicted as mentally ill for 20 years, a Military Hospital report confirmed that he was completely sane. TO SEE THE GATA REPORT CONFIRMING ADNAN OKTAR’S SANITY BELOW During this period, Mr. Oktar continued his work on revealing that Darwinism is a terrible deception. In 1986 he collected all his research on Darwinism’s true face in the book Living Things and Evolution, which for many years, was used as the sole reference showing the scientific invalidity of the theory of evolution. August 2007

Tips: How to boot/install Windows 7/Vista from USB Flash/Hard Drive

7 December, 2008

To follow up with my previous post, for those who got their hands on the latest leak build, some of you are looking for blank Dvds or waiting for it to burn at low speed and hopefully it wont fail half way (bad burns). I’m not sure if this was posted before but here’s the solution.

- Get a 4GB USB Drive and plug it in under Vista (i don’t think XP has diskpart)

- Click Start –> type CMD and right click Run as Admin

- Inside cmd, type and enter the followings:

1. diskpart
2. type “list disk” and you will see all connected disks and numbers



3. select disk X (X being the number of the usb disk )
4. clean
5. create partition primary
6. select partition 1
7. active
8. format fs=fat32
9. assign
10. exit

- Open your drive under explorer, copy all files from vista/7 iso to the usb drive.

- in Bios, set to boot from USB and have fun.

Source

For USB Hard drive,follow this tips from istartedsomething:

Boot from USB Hard Drive

Updated Article

http://dotnetwizard.net/hacks/how-to-bootinstall-vista-from-a-usb-flash-drive/

Tips Traveling Murah di Jepang

for everyone

Sebagian diantara kita mungkin sering mendengar bahwa Jepang adalah negara termahal di dunia. Masalah yang mungkin timbul jika kita ingin backpacking ke Jepang, bagaimana cara mensiasati agar budget backpacking di Jepang bisa ditekan. Berikut ini beberapa tips untuk menekan budget selama backpacking di Jepang. Berhubung kalau di-convert ke Rupiah jadi mahal, jangan di-konversi selama anda backpack disana. Senior saya yang dari Indonesia pernah memberi analogi. “Kalau 100 yen disini anggap aja Rp. 1000 di Indonesia”. Sejujurnya, tampaknya Eropa Barat itu lebih mahal dibandingkan sama Jepang.

Transportasi

1. Seishun 18 kippu (baca: Seishun juuhachi kippu)

Ini adalah tiket murah buat kereta di Jepang. Bentuk fisiknya bisa dilihat di gambar berikut. Tiket ini hanya dijual selama masa liburan sekolah di Jepang (libur natal/tahun baru, libur musim semi (awal maret – awal april), dan libur musim panas (awal juli – awal september). Untuk tanggal pastinya dapat dilihat di website japan-guide. Harganya 11500 yen (data August 2006) untuk 5 hari unconsecutive (jadi seharinya 2300 yen). Jangan convert ke rupiah, karena kalo diconvert jadi mahal. Di Jepang 2300 yen sehari buat semua kereta rapid + local untuk ke seluruh Jepang yang dioperasikan Japan Railways bisa dibilang sangat murah. Trade off dengan waktu. Contoh dengan shinkansen cukup 2.5 jam ke Kyoto dari Tokyo, dengan seishun 18 kippu butuh 9 jam. Tapi harganya bisa 1/5 harga shinkansen (2300 yen vs 13.000an yen)

Gambar Seishun 18 kippu

Tiket ini punya lima “space”/kotak yang tiap-tiap spacenya itu dicap oleh petugas di pintu masuk (manned gate) untuk ke peron. Sejak di-cap berlaku selama tanggal yang ada di cap (1x24 jam). Jadi asumsikan tiket anda ada lima kotak. Contoh hari Senin pagi anda mau menggunakan 18 kippu. Anda masuk lewat manned gate, dicap petugas, dan selama hari Senin itu anda bebas kemanapun di Jepang (pakai kereta rapid/local yang dioperasikan JR). Recommended untuk backpacking dari Tokyo ke arah Barat (daerah Kansai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagasaki)

Contoh pemakaian seishun 18 kippu (starting point tokyo)

Hari 0: menjelang jam 11.43PM Tokyo – Yokohama pakai tiket biasa naik moonlight nagara. Tapi 18 kippu jangan dicap sebelum jam 12PM.

Hari 1: satu hari 18 kippu dipakai, Moonlight nagara yokohama ke Nagoya, muter-mutar di Nagoya sampai jam 4PM, lalu ke Osaka mengejar jam 10PM untuk naik Moonlight Kyushu ke Hakata (Fukuoka)

Hari 2: satu hari 18 kippu dipakai Pagi-pagi sampai di Hakata, jalan-jalan sampe sore di Fukuoka. Jam 4 / 5 sore naik kereta ke Nagasaki (sampai sekitar jam 8/9 malam).

Hari 3: Nagasaki

Hari 4: Free, tapi kalau keluar kota nagasaki, usahakan yang dekat-dekat.

Hari 5: satu hari18 kippu dipakai Nagasaki ke Huis ten bosch/fukuoka. Malamnya moonlight kyushu,

Hari 6: satu hari 18 kippu dipakai turun di Miyajima sekitar subuh – persiapkan hati tidur di stasiun. Setengah hari ke Pulau yang ada Torii besar (sering jadi symbol promosi wisata Jepang). Seishun 18 kippu berlaku untuk Ferry JR ke pulau ini. Lalu setengah hari lagi di Hiroshima - yang bagus hanya A-bomb Dome (Gembaku Domu). Hiroshima-Miyajima itu sangat dekat. Sekitar jam 5/6 sore naik kereta ke arah Osaka, sampai Osaka malam

Hari 7-13: Osaka + kota-kota sekitar Osaka (Himeji, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara)

Hari 14: satu hari18 kippu dipakai Osaka – Nagoya by regular train. Mampir ½ hari di Nagoya. Jam 4 sore naik kereta local ke Tokyo (6 jam).

Dengan rute diatas, hanya perlu 1 set 18 kippu (lima unconsecutive day).

2. Hokkaido and Higashinihon Pass

Mirip sama Seishun 18 kippu. Bedanya ini berlaku hanya untuk dari Tokyo ke arah utara (Tohoku + Hokkaido). Perbedaan kedua harganya 10.000 yen dan berlaku untuk 5 consecutive day. Recommended banget (dibanding seishun 18 kippu) kalau mau ke Hokkaido. Kalau di kombinasi dengan 18 kippu lebih bagus lagi. Bedanya sama seishun 18 kippu, dengan tiket ini bisa masuk pintu elektronik (unmanned gate).

Gambar Hokkaido and Higashi Nihon Pass

3. Kereta malam / bus malam

Keunggulannya, perjalanan bisa dilakukan di malam hari, pagi-pagi sudah sampai di tempat tujuan, menghemat ongkos akomodasi. Kereta malam paling terkenal di Jepang itu adalah moonlight nagara (Tokyo –> Nagoya -> Osaki -> ini kota antara Nagoya dan Kyoto). Saking populernya reservasi di Moonlight Nagara ini selalu penuh. Suasana di dalam moonlight nagara saat masa-masa seishun 18 kippu berlaku mirip-mirip kereta ekonomi pas lebaran (banyak yang lesehan di lorong kereta).Biasanya berangkat dari stasiun Tokyo Track 10 jam 23.43 setiap hari. Contoh kereta malam lainnya Moonlight Kyushu (Osaka – Hakata) dan Moonlight Echigo (Shinjuku – Niigata). Tapi yang dua terakhir kalah popular dibanding Moonlight Nagara.

Electronic board buat Moonlight Nagara (versi Jepang)

4. One day Card untuk transportasi

Tiap kota besar di Jepang biasanya ada one day card untuk transportasi. Untuk Tokyo, Fukuoka, Sapporo lebih bagus membeli one day card untuk subway. Kyoto lebih bagus pakai one day card untuk bus. Hiroshima adanya one day card buat trem, di sini lebih baik beli ketengan, kecuali anda memang benar-benar jalan banyak. Hiroshima adalah satu-satunya kota di Jepang yang membuat saya merasa rugi membeli one day card. Nagasaki adanya hanya street car. Harganya biasa antara 500-1000 yen. Kalau mau beli ketengan, harap diingat, untuk rute yang sama, harga tiket subway lebih mahal dibanding tiket kereta biasa.

Akomodasi + related things

5. It’s not necessary to buy Japan Youth Hostel Card

Dulu melihat teman yang backpacking di Eropa dan banyak mendapat diskon karena member Hostelling International + di Youth hostel Jepang katanya member akan mendapat diskon 1000 yen, saya akhirnya jadi anggota Japan Youth Hostel (2500 yen buat setahun). Tapi kenyataannya, di Jepang selama menginap, di semua hostel, saya hampir tidak pernah ditanyain tentang kartu HI saya. Anehnya, justru saya dapat diskon karena ada kartu Youth hostel ini pas backpacking ke China, (bukan di Jepang – tujuan semula bikin kartu ini).

Japan Youth Hostel Card.

6. Tenda + sleeping bag

Berhubung kalau backpacking akomodasi termasuk hal yang tidak murah (di Jepang Youth hostel berkisar 2000 s/d 4000 yen), Tenda + sleeping bag bisa jadi pilihan yang bagus, apalagi di masa-masa peak season. Tinggal cari pepohonan/hutan yang agak terlindung, dirikan tenda malam-malam, beresin tenda pagi-pagi, and you’re safe. Kalau ada pertanyaan tentang “dimana mandinya?” atau “dimana nge-charge alat elektronik?” “backpack kan berat kalau tidak ditaruh di hostel” lihat di bagian sento/onsen, bagian McD, dan bagian coin locker. Tempat-tempat yang feasible untuk camping itu di Hakone, Arashiyama (Kyoto), mungkin di Ueno (Tokyo).

7. Sento/Onsen

Kalau ingin merasakan salah satu budaya Jepang, Sento/onsen bisa dicoba kalau mau mandi. Ini salah satu solusi tempat mandi kalau anda camping (dan tidak tinggal di hostel). Kalau sento biasanya lebih murah dibanding onsen (Di Osaka itu ada yang 300 yen). Kalau onsen berkisar 500 – 1000 yen. Bedanya kalau onsen itu biasanya ada bagian outdoornya, jadi bisa merasakan mandi di suasana yang dekat dengan alam. Siapkan hatimu dengan culture shock + handuk kecil (karena kalau tak bawa handuk kecil mesti beli sekitar 200 yen). Sabun, shampoo dkk disediakan sento tsb.

8. Tempat hiburan/main game

Biasanya di deket stasiun, ada tempat semacam entertainment center dimana kita bisa baca manga + istirahat + dapat minuman bersoda + main game dengan harga tertentu. Di Osaka, deket sama stasiun utamanya ada tempat seperti ini. Dulu kami ber-4, masing-masing bayar 500 yen bisa menikmati semua fasilitas di tempat seperti ini. Menurut salah satu teman, kita bahkan bisa tinggal sampe pagi di salah satu ruangan. Lumayan kan 500 yen bisa “nginep” + bisa dapat koneksi internet + minuman + pilihan manga yang banyak. Berhubung saya tahu trik ini di masa-masa akhir tinggal di Jepang, saya belum pernah mencoba trick “nginep” ini.

9. Koin Locker

Koin locker di Jepang tersedia di hampir semua stasiun. Kalau hanya mau daytrip saja (misalnya kereta dari Tokyo sampainya pagi, dan malamnya kereta ke fukuoka) backpack bisa ditaruh di coin locker. Harganya antara 300 yen (kecil – backpack biasa) dan 500 yen (besar).

10. Home Visit

Home visit/home stay bisa diatur via kampus, atau teman sendiri, atau mencari di internet. Misalnya anda punya kenalan orang Jepang dan anda menginap di rumahnya, satu hal bisa dipastikan, kalau anda diajak jalan-jalan, pasti tidak akan keluar uang sama sekali. Salah satu budaya orang Jepang, kalau ada tamu, dan dia mengajak anda jalan-jalan, uang masuk ke tempat wisata biasanya dibayarin (contoh ekstrim, teman saya dibayarin ke Disneyland sama host dia, padahal tiket masuknya 5500 yen). Udah gitu kalo makan jg pasti dibayarin, dijamin makmur, jangan ngotot bayar sendiri, itu bisa dibilang tidak sopan (tidak menghormati tuan rumah). Jangan lupa beliin omiyage (oleh-oleh) dan dikasih pas ketemu.

11. Yoshinoya + Matsuya + McD

Tempat-tempat makan ini umumnya buka 24 jam. Kalau benar-benar kepepet, contohnya sampai di kota tujuan sudah kemalaman dan tidak menemukan hostel/tempat camping, bisa menghabiskan malam disini. Diantara tempat-tempat ini yang paling nyaman itu McD. Kalau Yoshinoya dan Matsuya itu umumnya tempat duduknya seperti yang di bar, tidak enak buat tiduran. Viva McD.

12. Stasiun

Saya sangat jarang melihat orang menginap di stasiun, tapi dua teman saya pernah menginap di stasiun Hakodate (Hokkaido). Mereka bilang aman, tidak ditanya-tanya oleh polisi. Saat ke Hakodate saya juga melihat memang ada yang tidur di stasiun (ruang tunggunya). Seperti di gambar berikut.

Orang yang tidur di Stasiun Hokodate

13. Home Base

Kalau backpacking di daerah Jepang, beberapa kota bisa dijadikan homebase. Keuntungannya bisa menghemat uang dan tenaga daripada pindah-pindah kota. Tokyo bisa dijadikan homebase untuk daerah Kanto. Dari Tokyo bisa daytrip ke Yokohama, Nikko, dan Kamakura.

Osaka bisa dijadikan homebase untuk daerah Kansai. Osaka ini terletak lebih di tengah dibanding kota-kota lain di daerah Kansai (Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji). Satu lagi, disini ada hotel (bukan salah ketik, ini memang hotel) yang paling murah selama saya traveling di Jepang, Hotel Raizan South, dekat Shinimamiya Station, 2000 yen semalam (November 2005).

Untuk daerah Chugoku, saya lebih menyarankan Miyajima sebagai home base (bukan Hiroshima), karena Youth Hostelnya sangat dekat dengan stasiun utama. Youth hostel di Hiroshima lebih murah, tapi lumayan jauh dan sangat tergantung dengan bus. Miyajima pun termasuk dekat dengan Hiroshima-eki

Sapporo bisa dijadikan homebase untuk daerah Hokkaido. Berhubung Hokkaido termasuk daerah yang lebih tertinggal dibanding Kanto atau Kansai, train connection disini relative lebih jarang dibandingkan Kanto atau Kansai.

Makanan

14. Viva McDonald

Berbeda dengan di Indonesia, McDonald di Jepang itu termasuk makanan yang bisa dibilang sangat murah. 80 yen sudah bisa dapat beefburger (terakhir August 2006, semoga harganya blm naik). Lumayan buat isi perut. Kalau mau benar-benar berhemat, McDonald bisa jadi pilihan pertama.

Keunggulan kedua, McDonald bisa dipakai buat tempat nge-charge kamera/cellphone (asal tidak ketahuan waiter). Cari colokan, colok aja, tapi usahakan jangan kelihatan waiter McD aja, pasti ditegur. Berhubung McDonald ada dimana-mana, kalau ada gejala batere HP atau kamera low-bat, cari saja logo McD.

McDonald juga bisa dipakai buat tempat istirahat kalau udah kemaleman. Misal mau nunggu bus malam yang berangkatnya deket-dekat tengah malam, McD bisa dipakai buat nunggu, atau kalau tidak diusir, bisa buat tidur. Modalnya beli satu burger + minuman. Selama itu belum habis, pelanggan tak akan diusir, kecuali McD-nya tutup.

Selama musim dingin, McDonald bisa juga dijadikan tempat mencari kehangatan. Meskipun shopping mall juga bisa digunakan untuk mencari tempat yang hangat, tapi jam buka McDonald lebih lama.

15. Air Minum

Tentang air minum, di Jepang itu kita bisa minum dari air keran (tap water), hampir semua tempat yang ada keran air, bisa dipakai buat refill botol minuman anda.

16. Makanan di Jepang

Di level paling murah itu McDonald (bisa dapat burger 80 yen), naik level sedikit ada Matsuya, Yoshinoya dan Genkiya, disini bisa dapat beefbowl/porkbowl. Simple makanannya, hanya nasi + daging + miso soup. Kalau rindu nasi, ini cukup bikin kenyang, harganya sekitar 280 – 400 yen. Keunggulan ke-empat tempat ini, umumnya mereka buka 24 jam dan lokasinya relative sangat dekat dengan stasiun kereta. Cara paling mudah mencarinya, lihat-lihat plang restoran berwarna oranye (yoshinoya) atau kuning (matsuya).

Selain itu ada juga bento, ini biasanya dijual di kombini (convenience store).

Kalau mau yang lebih murah lagi bisa beli roti + daging tuna kalengan yang 100 yen. Ini bisa dimakan buat sehari penuh, atau kadang lebih. Ada teman seperjalanan yang pernah mencoba ini selama 3 hari, masih tetap sehat.

Ada juga yang namanya onigiri, semacam lemper versi Jepang, tapi bentuknya segitiga, lumayan buat mengganjal perut, tapi tidak cukup mengenyangkan. Harganya jg murah, kurang lebih 100 yen.

Discount

17. Student ID + Hiroshima

Student ID (atau ISIC) di Jepang umumnya kurang begitu banyak dipakai. Tempat wisata di Jepang yang biasanya kuil-kuil, di admission fee-nya jarang memberi diskon buat student. Biasanya hanya museum yang ada discount. Tapi di Hiroshima, jika anda ryuugakusei (mahasiswa asing), banyak tempat wisata yang gratis.

18. City Guide

Di Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, dan kota-kota besar lainnya, biasanya di tourist information ada buku Tokyo Guide atau Kyoto Guide, bentuknya buku kecil, pocket size. Di bagian belakang buku ini ada semacam “voucher” untuk tempat-tempat wisata di kota tersebut.

Pada intinya, paling murah kalau backpacking di Jepang menggunakan camping + seishun 18 kippu (and/or Hokkaido and Higashi Nihon Pass). Biaya lain yang dikeluarkan kalau menggunakan cara ini kurang lebih hanya sento + koin locker. Kalau digabung dengan makanan tuna 100 yen, bisa menghemat banyak. Lalu di admission fee tempat-tempat wisata tertentu, bisa di-diskon menggunakan “city guide” yang biasanya ada halaman yang khusus berisi voucher-voucher tempat wisata. Tapi tolong diingat, murah standard Jepang itu tetap aja akan tetap kelihatan mahal kalau dirupiahkan.

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