Archive for November 2017

Despite the fact that Japan has a standout amongst the most effective rail networks in the world, some of its most alluring regions can best, or even just, be explored by car.

There are many beautiful scenic location in Japan and they are best traveled by driving.
via: www.flickr.com

The best part about driving is having the capacity to make the most of your trip. You can head for scenic locations that you just can't reach via public transportation, or explore throughout the country by driving yourself? You'll make your trip significantly more fun.

For Japan rental car, check out Tabirai Car Rental It is the best car rental search system that allow you to easily compare and reserve a car all in one site.

3 Key Features of Tabirai Car Rental

(1) Guaranteed installation of English-speaking car navigation system

(2) They only post cars from major rental companies welcoming users from overseas at reasonable prices compared to regular prices (maximum 50% off from fixed prices)

(3) In addition to rental car charges, basic insurance, collision damage waiver (CDW), English-car navigation(GPS), consumption tax are included in a price display that is easy to understand and secure. Insurance from individual car rental companies (NOC compensation insurance) is optional and can be added on the date of car rental (as desired).

Three reasons why you should use Tabirai Car Rental

(1) Once the reservation is completed online, the specified rental is guaranteed. After that, simply go to the meeting place or rental car company office on the departure date(pick up date).

(2) Member registration and credit card information are unnecessary at the time of reservation. Payment should be made at the car rental office on the departure date (pick up date). Credit cards are the recommended method of payment.

(3) You can cancel your reservation and send a message to the rental car company by logging in to the ‘Reservation Information Box ’.

URL: https://en.tabirai.net/car/search/userlogin.aspx

Other things to take note

1. How can you obtain a card to pay for the expressway (ETC card) and arrange a discount service ‘Expressway Pass?’

After making a reservation, you will receive a reservation mail with a confirmation number and password you can use to log in to the ‘Reservation Information Box (URL: https://en.tabirai.net/car/search/userlogin.aspx). ’

Log in to the Reservation Information Box and send a request to the car rental company using the ‘message’ function (some car rental offices do not offer ETC card rental).

2. You want to utilize the car rental company's own insurance (NOC compensation insurance), which makes payment for NOC (Non Operation Charge) unnecessary. How can you apply?

Please apply at the rental office on the day you receive your rental car.

3. What is NOT included in the ‘Tabirai Car Rental Reservation’ price?

· NOC compensation insurance fee (optional, as desired)

· ETC card rental fee (around 300 yen)

· Highway/Expressway tolls

· Gasoline cost

・Experts teach us! Secret Tips for Renting a Car in Japan!

http://en.tabirai.net/car/guide/

・Japan rental car

http://en.tabirai.net/car/

・OKINAWA

http://en.tabirai.net/car/okinawa/

・HOKKAIDO

http://en.tabirai.net/car/hokkaido

Wrote by Only William...

A new a la carte menu at Cherry Garden and recently refurbished modern-chic Chinese interior beckon fine diners. Cherry Garden is known for its premium Cantonese dishes and is situated on level 5 at one of Singapore’s foremost luxury hotel, Mandarin Oriental. Its latest gourmet menu is created by Executive Chinese Chef Cheng Hon Chau from Hong Kong.

Enter and be welcomed by the bright and posh wood-furnished corridor. During the day, the place is enhanced by daylight streaming through the outdoor garden.

This 120-seat restaurant has a grand main dining area, characterised by Chinois chic décor and beautiful bonsai plant. With soft oriental music playing in the background, you can expect a relaxing and calm dining time.

I love how spacious the restaurant is, with different private dining concepts. One of the highlights is the Lotus private dining room that has a floor-to-ceiling embroidered silk wallpaper screens with motifs of graceful birds and dainty cherry blossoms. It is also furnished with pretty chandeliers, embellished with crystals that elegantly illuminates the space and create a memorable private dining experience.

Here is an intimate four-seater setting that is also available at Cherry Garden.

Our menu for the evening.

Crispy Wasabi Aoili Prawn

We started our meal with this Crispy Wasabi Aoili Prawn. A wonderful appetizer to get you excited for the dishes to follow! The crunchy prawn is coated with gooey and light wasabi and topped off with tobiko and basil seeds. The taste of the wasabi was mild yet sufficiently flavourful. The prawn was so fresh and the tiny tobiko and basil seeds added textures to the mouthful. Simply, one goodness-filled bite was not enough.

Pork Xiao Long Bao (SGD7)

Served in a metallic encased bamboo basket, the dim sums at Cherry Garden have a refined touch. Unlike many Xiao Long Baos, the meat tucked within this thicker-and-firmer skin was finely minced to give a smooth and delicate taste. The hearty soup was also good and not too oily.

Prawn Dumpling with Black Garlic (SGD8)

If you love prawns, you can taste them fresh and plump wrapped in the crystal and chewy skin of the Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Black Garlic. My only gripe was that the black garlic taste could be stronger.

Crystal Dumpling with Fresh Mushrooms and Black Truffle (SGD7)

My favourite of all three dim sums was the Crystal Dumpling with Fresh Mushroom and Black Truffle. Bite into this delicacy and it will release the aroma of the mushrooms and truffles, which will engulf your senses. Savour the flavourful crunchy bites packed with essential nutrients!

Double-boiled Clear Soup with Sliced Abalone Matsutake and Snow Fungus (SGD28)

Everyone ought to have a bowl of nourishing soup once in a while and it can’t get any better especially with specifically procured ingredients. The Matsutake Mushrooms in this double-boiled clear soup were particularly harvested from the high mountains in Yun Nan, China. The soup was rich yet tasted well-balanced, not too salty or oily. You will also find pieces of tantalising and juicy sliced abalone and chicken in the soup. It was so good, drink up!

Steamed Red Garoupa served with Pickled Chillies (SGD22)

Here is a familiar Chinese dish seasoned in an unconventional way! For those who love a zesty kick, this plate of garoupa will give a tingling sensation to the lips and tongue. It was medium-spicy and appetising. However, I felt the pairing was a slightly overpowering hence I would still prefer it to go with the traditional soy sauce or black bean sauce.

Pan-fried A4 Miyazaki Wagyu Beef Sirloin with Cherry Garden’s Barbecue Sauce and Sautéed Vegetables (SGD48)

Beef lovers can go for this superior marbling beef that was flown in directly from the Miyazaki prefecture. The purebred wagyu beef is considered to be the highest-quality beef in Japan. It was well executed and served on a warm plate. Paired up with cherry red barbecue sauce that was blended with ginger, onion and olive oil. The taste of the wagyu beef was luscious and tender.

Five Grain Fried Rice (Small – SGD24, Large – SGD36)

Introducing one of my new favourite fried rice! Cooked using five different types of grains namely glutinous rice, brown rice, white rice, wild rice and corn rice, it offered a medley of textures and fragrances! I simply adored it. You can expect gooey and crunchy textures all in one mouthful and to complete the taste, it had the wok-hei factor! Love that it was also not too oily.

Cherries in Nu Er Hong and Aged Kuei Hua Wine Cocktail Jelly with Lychee Sorbet (SGD10)

A memorable way to end off a meal at Cherry Garden is to enjoy a bowl of refreshing and icy Cherries in Nu Er Hong and Aged Kuei Hua Wine Cocktail Jelly with Lychee Sorbet! It was a lovely combination with strong cherry notes. The diced mangoes, aloe vera and sweet lychee pearls complemented the cherry dessert very well.

Cherry Garden

5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square Singapore 039797

For reservations, please email mosin-dining@mohg.com or call +65 6885 3500.

Operating hours:

Weekday Lunch – 12 noon to 2:30pm

Weekend Dim Sum Buffet – 11am to 1pm / 1:30 to 3:30pm

Dinner – 6:30 to 10:30pm

Post written by Magdalene Tan. Follow her on Instagram, http://instagram.com/chantalmag.

Wrote by Only William...

Touted as the leading financial services group in Asia, DBS Bank goes beyond meeting banking needs of consumers. It has transformed its Plaza Singapura outlet into a Lifestyle Space, integrated with highly digital experience to meet banking and lifestyle needs of the “Tech” generation. Featured together at its official launch last week on Nov 1^st, was its enhanced DBS Multiplier account catered to allow more young adults attain higher interest rates.

The opening event was lined up with light-hearted and groovy music performances and dance, followed by a tour to explore the new facilities within the compound.

Kicking off the launch with song performance by HubbaBubbas! For a start, together with SCAPE, DBS is organising a talent development showcase to groom budding singing talents, culminating in the first-ever National Youth Music Awards competition in 2018.

Adrenaline-pumping time with the percussionists!

An impressive street dance that got us pumped up even more.

At the Plaza Singapura DBS outlet, you can say goodbye to the norm, where all you see is a line of people waiting at the ATMs or in front of the counters to complete their banking transactions. This outlet has an open layout, furnished with long tables and chairs for anyone to hang around and relax for a bit before or after doing their banking transactions. As you walk into the bank, you will be greeted by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee by bettrBarista! What made this café more appealing is its social initiative. Each cup of coffee goes towards helping youth-in-need attain higher education – in this case, through coffee academy.

In the future, there are plans that DBS will hold monthly latte art and coffee appreciation classes with Bettr Barista, financial talks by NAV- Your Financial GPS and artwork exhibitions by students.

Some of the innovative facilities you can expect from this hip lifestyle space include an industry-first VR (Virtual Reality) Corner for retirement planning, Cash Services Machines that serve both deposits and withdrawals, round-the-clock Video Teller Machines (VTMs) offering customers non-cash banking services and Pepper – the humanoid robot who can guide you on how to use the VTMs!

Cash machines servicing both deposits and withdrawals. (Don’t you feel that you’ve been transported to London? We instantly fell in love with the interior design.)

That’s Pepper, the humanoid robot who will guide you on how to use the VTM, that is positioned in the private room behind the wall.

The VTM assist you in non-cash transactions such as replacement of iBanking tokens, cards, etc. You can even call on screen, an operator who will be able to attend to your enquiries real time. This VTM at Plaza Singapura branch is available from 8am to 12am. There are currently 12 VTMs in 12 locations around Singapore and the bank intends to install more than 20 machines by end of 2017.

Opening address for the new launch and introduction of DBS enhanced Multiplier account.

Targeting young adults, the DBS Multiplier account offers higher interest rates with lower transaction threshold, along with no minimum salary crediting amount and no minimum credit card spend. This is a perfect solution to save some time managing your finances to achieve your financial goals. Customers can enjoy higher interest rates on their account balances when they credit their salaries with DBS/POSB and transact in one or more of the following categories: credit card spend, home loan instalment, insurance or investments.

To enjoy higher rates, customers just need to have their total eligible monthly transactions add up to SGD2,000 or more:

Between 1.55% p.a. to 2.08% p.a. if their salary credit and transaction in one category add up to SGD2,000 or more
Between 1.8% p.a. to 3.5% p.a. if their salary credit and transactions in two or more categories add up to SGD2,000 or more

DBS Multiplier Account interest rates

*Total monthly transactions consist of salary crediting and one or more of these categories: credit card spend, home loan instalment, insurance or investments

Here are two scenarios:

· A university fresh graduate with a net salary of SGD2,700 and a credit card spend of SGD200 monthly will enjoy interest rates of 1.85% p.a. on his/her DBS Multiplier Account balance

· A young working adult who was been in the workforce for a few years with a net salary of SGD4,600 and a credit card spend of SGD450 monthly will earn 1.90% p.a. on his/her DBS Multiplier Account balance

Eligible transactions are detected at the customer level, across a customer’s various product holdings with DBS/POSB so customers only need to deposit their balances in a DBS Multiplier Account, while transacting with their usual DBS/POSB accounts, to enjoy the higher interest rates.

Finally, young adults can look for quality content of relevance to everyday living on DBS’s new platform TwentyThirty (www.twentyxthirty.com). TwentyThirty cover a variety of topics, such as getting through adulting milestones and financial literacy, to career advice and more. The aim of the site is to engage young adults in their 20s and 30s in conversations about larger “life” issues and provide them with valuable information to address to their situations.

For those who are keen, you can apply for the enhanced DBS Multiplier account at www.dbs.com.sg/multi.

Post written by Magdalene Tan. Follow her on Instagram, http://instagram.com/chantalmag.

Wrote by Only William...

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