how to purchase UPS 25kg boxes

The UPS 25kg box is an excellent way to ship bulky items in a cardboard box that will not break during transit. This box is made from double wall corrugated material and can be reused many times. It is also good for general moving, because it is more sturdy than the typical single-wall moving box.

External dimensions of the box are: 19.375" x 17.375" x 14".

These boxes are well worth the money. My son used his boxes for four moves, and the boxes still look good after the ordeal (one move from home to college, one move from his dorm to a storage place, one move from storage place to his apartment, and then a move from his apartment to home). The boxes fold flat when they are not in use. Remember to fold the side flaps down in order to hold the bottom flap in place.

The only problem is that UPS no longer carries this box. You can order it from www.prattplus.com  (SKU #pra0161). The smallest order is a pack of 6 boxes at $21.54 (or $3.59 each before tax and shipping).

Low VOC (or no VOC) paints

Environmentally friendly paints:
http://ivycoatings.com/

Resetting the controller of a Kenmore Elite dishwasher

My 8-years old Kenmore Elite dishwasher (model 665.16932, 2001 vintage) stopped working last week. The "clean" lights was blinking continuously and the dishwasher stopped responding to all buttons except "cancel/drain". Disconnecting the power to the dishwasher did not help to reset the controller, since the "clean" light kept blinking after resuming the power.

The technician explained to me that it is the result of failing to heat the incoming water. He said that it could be caused by running cold water to the dishwasher or a failed heating element. He said that once the dishwasher's controller detects this condition, it will stop working unless you reset it. To reset the controller, do the following in the prescribed order:

1. Press the "Hi Temp Scrub" button once.
2. Press the "Air Dry" button once.
3. Press the "Hi Temp Scrub" button once.
4. Press the "Air Dry" button once.
5. Wait a few seconds until all indicator lights in the front panel light up.
6. The controller begins the self-test sequence by counting down from 11.
7. You can skip most of the self-test by pressing the "Anti Bacterial" (leftmost) button. Each key press skips one step, as shown in the display.
8. Skip all steps until the display shows "1" and let the self-test complete.
9. Once the display is blank, the self-test is over, and the problem indication is cleared.

Since this dishwasher was made by KitchenAid, the instructions above are also applicable to the corresponding KitchenAid models.

The dishwasher is now working without a problem since it was reset. If the problem resumes in the future, the technician recommends replacing both the controller and the heating element (in one kit) and replacing the temperature sensor as well. The estimated cost of this work is about $200, including parts and labor.

Canada trip day 6: August 29, 2009

Took Amtrak back home. The train stopped for two hours for the completion of the US borders inspection, which was much shorter. I suppose that Amtrak has built-in delays for the border inspection.

Then the train came to a halt and continued to ride very slowly. The conductors said that we were stuck behind a freight train. Arrived to Buffalo with a two-hour delay. The rest if the trip smooth. We arrived to NY Penn station with a two hour delay. We eventually took the 11:49pm train to Summit. We arrived after midnight. Dorit and the kids stayed in the train station while I walked briskly home to bring the car. Dorit encountered suspicious people in the train station, so she and the kids waited outside until I arrived with the car.

Amtrak had no sense of time and no urgency to provide good service. It did not compare favorably with Japan Rail.

Canada trip day 5: August 28, 2009

Ate breakfast in the hotel.
Drizzling.
Took the shuttle to the table rock station.
The mist from the falls is like a constant rain.
Walked along the river bank.
Bought a rain coat for Rena.
Bought tickets for the tunnel below the fall. Did not buy the free day pass (4 attractions + people mover).
Ate pizza for lunch.
Visited the tunnel. Got a little wet.
Took the bus to the Maid of Mist boat.
Got thoroughly wet on the boat.
Walked along the river bank to the table rock.
Bought souvenirs at the gift shop there: a lying wolf and a music box.
Took the bus back to the hotel. Asked the driver for recommendations for an authentic Canadian cuisine, which perplexed her. The Canadians do not think that they have a representative cuisine. She recommended a restaurant in the center of town. Took a large taxi (van) to the restaurant, which was very good.

Lessons learnt: You become thoroughly soaked by the Maid of the Mist boat, so it must be the last Niagra Falls attraction on your trip. The half-hourly bus offered by the hotel is pretty good. No need for the people mover ad the daily pass.

Canada trip day 4: August 27, 2009

Check out
taxi to the train station
two-car train to Niagra Falls
Arrived around 1:30pm. Left suitcases at the hotel. Walked to the center of town. Ate lunch at the local Shoelss Joe restaurant. The restaurant was much worse than the other branch in Toronto.
Check in at the hotel. One room was reserved for two days and the other for one day.
Ate pizza.
Took the bus to the magic show. Dan decided to stay in the hotel.
The show was good. Especially the trick with the vanishing duck.

Canada trip day 3: August 26, 2009

Dorit stayed in the Hotel.

Kosher sausages
Museum
Ice cream
Castle
garden

Canada trip day 2: August 25, 2009

We woke up at 9:15am because we went to bed near midnight. We missed the breakfast time at the hotel, so we ate breakfast at Sunset Grill restaurant near the hotel. The portions were generous, but my vegetarian omelet was tasteless. Their freshly squeezed juice was good.

Printed VIA tickets. Walked to the Hippo tours station. Missed the 1pm bus. Took the skywalk to CN tower. Bought Citybook passes. Did not enter the tower because they told us that we need to wait 30 minutes. Looked for a restaurant. Found one after 2pm. Dan and I ordered Angus meatloaf, which was good. The weather was comfortable. Not too hot, and not humid. Much better than the weather in Japan or New Jersey at this time of year.

Dan walked back to the hotel after lunch. The four of us visited the CN tower. The view from the lookout floor was nice but not spectacular. We did not wait in the long line to go to the top observatory. The glass floor was not amazing either. Bought a shirt for Shirley in the gift shop downstairs, and bought two postcards for Rena. Our picture was not ready when we tried to pick it up. We asked the attendant to pick it up the next day.

We missed the 5pm Hippo bus, so we bought tickets for the 6pm bus. Dorit and Rena ordered shakes in a restaurant, while Shirley and I went to a soft ice cream stand. Shirley liked her chocolate-vanilla swirl. Then we tried to pick our pictures from the basement of the CN tower. We got our pictures after 40 minutes and 3 conversations with the attendant. She was either extremely confused or inept.

Took the 6pm Hippo bus tour. The Hippo bus is an amphibious bus, which can drive on the road and travel on water with ease. The guide gave detailed explanations of the sights and included recommendations of attractions, restaurants, and current events. The highlight of the tour was splashing into the inner harbor.

We walked back to the hotel and bought food for dinner at the local 7-eleven store. It carried a much smaller selection of food than the Japanese counterpart. The selection was similar to the US selection.

Canada trip day 1: August 24, 2009

We took two limos to New York Penn Station for the 5 of us. The limos arrived at 5:30am as scheduled. The trip to NY Penn Station was only 50 minutes long. Shirley forgot her glasses at home. We arrived almost an hour before the train departure time. We had to get our passports inspected before boarding the train. We could not find cheap plastic replacement glasses for Shirley in the drug store at the station. They carry only reading glasses with a positive number, whereas Shirley needed a negative number.

The train departed at 7:19 am, which is 4 minutes late. The view of the Hudson from the left side of the train was amazing. However, the train started to accumulate delays. At one point the train just stopped to allow a freight train to pass. The conductor said that they want to keep the train safe and upright. The train shook violently when it was traveling at any speed. We eventually arrived to the Canadian border with a 1.5 hour delay, which increased to a 2 hour and 15 minutes delay when we arrived to Toronto. We arrived to Toronto at 10pm instead of 7:46pm. The comparison with Japanese trains was not flattering (at all) to Amtrak. The lady who was sitting on the other side of the aisle said that even the trains in India have shorter delays!

One mistake I did before the ride was to staple the tickets together. I got 10 tickets: 5 tickets from New York to the Canadian border, and 5 tickets from the Canadian border to Toronto. I stapled the pair of tickets of a single person together, and then I stapled the 5 pairs together. The conductor took the first 5 tickets, which means that he took 3 New York to Canadian border tickets, and 2 Canadian border to Toronto tickets. I did not understand how he could tear the 5 interleaved tickets in one motion, but I did not notice his mistake until we already crossed the border to Canada. I explained to the cheerful Canadian conductor that the American conductor took the wrong tickets. I was afraid that he would cause us much grief, but he just accepted my explanation and got his superior's approval.

We got two connected suites at the Cambridge Suites Hotel in Toronto, which were very spacious.

Lesson learnt: do not staple two kinds of tickets together to avoid confusion. Staple only identical tickets together (to the same destination).

Fallingwater trip day 3: August 17, 2009

Drive back to home. 3 stops. About 7 hours on the road. 9 hours total. GPS is cool.

Fallingwater trip day 2: August 16, 2009

Visit Fallingwater. Arrived at 10:15am for the 11am tour (very fortunate that I thought that we had the 10am tour). Ate lunch in the visitors center. Empty gas tank. Drove to Kentuck Knob. Late for the 2pm tour. Got tickets for the 3:15pm tour. Visited the sculpture meadow. House visit. Beutiful scenery hidden by the 5000 trees planted around the house. Dinner in the hotel.

Fallingwater trip day 1: August 15, 2009

Drive to Summit Inn Hotel in PA.

Lessons Learnt from the Japan trip

• The main cities in Japan are hot and humid in the summer. If you or your companions suffer from the heat, you will be able to visit only two or three places a day instead of six to seven places in a typical daily plan found in most guide books.
• If you travel with small children, expect to spend a day or more in a doctor's office or hospital.
• If you travel with small children or somebody who suffers from motion sickness, you should avoid long travel by bus and most organized tours. You must have the flexibility to alter the plan if somebody feels sick.
• Pick hotels near or on top of train stations. For example, Hotel Granvia Kyoto which is located on top of the Kyoto train station. We could reach the train platform in 8 minutes from our hotel room. Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel near Shibuya station in Tokyo was also convenient.
• You need to visit alternating kinds of attractions to keep your children interested. For example, you cannot visit 5 shrines and temples in a row, which is the typical plan in Kyoto.
• You can save a lot of money and keep your dietary restrictions by eating store-bought food in your hotel room. There are many convenience stores in major cities, and the minuscule minibar refrigerator in the room has enough capacity to hold food overnight. You will need to restore the content of the minibar in the morning to avoid being charged for missing items.
• Before you visit any attraction, pay attention to the days it is closed. It is written in the guide book.
• Pay attention to the exit number from the subway/train station of the attraction. Some subway and train stations have more than 10 exits, and they point at all directions.
• Two triangular rice balls and a yogurt are a satisfying dinner after a day full of activities.
• Have a person in the hotel write your dietary restrictions in Japanese, so you can show it in restaurants and food shops. Once you recognize the food you can eat, it is easy to do your own shopping.
• Buy a Japan Rail Pass if you travel between cities or have frequent side trips. It will save you the hassle of buying individual tickets, and it enables much flexibility. You can just hop on the next train and sit in the unreserved car just by showing your pass at the entrance to the station. The ordinary pass is sufficient if you avoid the peak travel period (around the Obon festival and New Year).
• Your hotel concierge team can help you much by recommending restaurants and events, making reservations, and finding medical help as needed.
• There is no single best guide book for Japan. The two best books that I found are Frommer's Japan (by Beth Reiber) and Lonely Planet's Japan. The Frommer's book ranks the attractions in each area and across Japan, which is essential for preparing your own trip plan. The Lonely Plant book contains more up-to-date information based on the personal experience of a large team of authors that live in Japan. However, it does not rank the attractions. I found that the combination of these two books to be extremely useful.
• You can ship your luggage from one hotel to the next or from your hotel to the airport. It takes one day. It reduces the hassle of carrying luggage on the train. I did not use this service in this trip.
• If you rent a phone in Japan, you should use a discount call rates and not the default call rate. Otherwise you will pay ¥5-6 per minute. You need to program the discount call prefix into your phone. The company that you rent your phone from will typically give you this information.
• A netbook or a small laptop is useful during the trip to keep in touch with your friend and family and to get information about attractions. You can also download the photos and videos from your camera to the netbook or laptop to make room for new pictures and videos. If you have a teenager, he or she are likely to use your netbook or laptop extensively.
• Buy a few simple souvenirs representing your country before you start your trip. Postcards of famous locations or magents with similar pictures are handy when you want to thank a person in Japan. Since Japanese do not accept tips, this is a good way to show your gratitude. In addition, people on the street may help you, and you may want to thank them this way.
• Get good street maps. The maps in the guidebooks are often inconvenient or lack details. Get the "Bilingual map of Tokyo, Yokohama, Tsukuba, Makuhari Messe by Shobunsha Publications, Inc". Print the Tokyo subway map from their web site.
  

What we missed in the Japan trip

I prepared a detailed plan for the visit. However, we did not accomplish everything in the plan mainly due to the hot weather. Dorit and Shirley could not tolerate the hot weather for the entire day. Here are the major attractions that we missed in the trip:

In and around Tokyo:

• Kabuki play at Kabukiza Theatre
• Sensoji temple and shop for souvenirs along Nakamise Dori.
• Visit Tokyo National Museum.
• Visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum
• Stroll through Akihabara (electronics shops).
• Day trip to Yokohama:
  • Visit the Landmark Tower, which is the tallest building in Japan.
  • Visit the Sankeien Garden.
  • Eat in Chinatown.
  • Visit the Raman museum.
• Hot spring bath at Odedo-Onsen Monogatari or Azabu-Juban onsen (maybe go to a public bath in Osaka instead).
• Hakone open-air museum.

In and around Kyoto:

• Jizo-In temple near Saiho-ji (moss temple).
• Ginkakuji, the temple of the silver pavilion.
• drink tea along the philosopher's pathway.
• Heian Shrine and Shinen garden.
• Kiyomizu Temple.
• Bamboo grove.
• Taking a boat ride with fishermen. Cormorant fishing at night (optional).
• Eat a Kaiseki meal.

In and around Osaka:

• Osaka castle

What I would like to do in my next visit to Japan:

• Learn flower arrangements.
• Visit an automated car factory.
• Visit National parks (in the northern part of Japan).
• Attend a festival.
• Stay a night in a Ryokan (traditional inn).

What did we like and dislike in Japan

We liked:

• Public transportation: the trains, subways and buses are punctual and clean. All street and station signs are at least bi-lingual (Japanese and English). Bus stop signs in Kyoto are quad-lingual (Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean). All electronic signs and automated announcements in trains, subways, and buses are in Japanese and English. An English speaker can find his/her way around with little problem without help.
• Shrines and temples: Japan has an abundance of well-maintained old shrines and temples. A priest in Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto told me that his shrine is renovated every 21 years, and they collect donations for the periodic maintenance.
• Gardens: Japanese gardens are beautiful. Many of them contain ponds, streams, bridges, waterfalls, islands, old trees, and well-maintained paths.
• Food: Japanese eat a lot of fresh fish. The sushi is fabulous, including the one you buy in convenience stores. The portions are small, but then you realize that the portions in the USA are too big. Many pastries in convenience stores have a delicious filling, like bean paste. We especially liked the soft rice cakes with bean paste filling (mochi).
• Ubiquitous vending machines and convenient convenience stores: There are vending machines for drinks in almost every other building in big cities. If you are thirsty, there is usually a vending machine in sight. Note that some of the drinks have a weird taste, like Pocari Sweat. There is a convenience store (7-Eleven, Lawson, Family Mart, etc.) in every block in big cities. There are several convenience stores in every train station. You also have kiosks on the platforms of bullet trains (Shinkansen).
• Tokyo never sleeps: When we went to the Tsukiji fish market at 5am, the roads had considerable traffic and the subway was full (not congested). Same as at 11pm. When do the Tokyoites sleep?
• Courtesy and helpfulness: Japanese are courteous and helpful. We were much impressed by the taxi driver who took us from the hotel to the Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital. The concierge person told the driver something when we boarded the taxi, and the taxi driver got out of the taxi and explained our problem to the reception person at the hospital, who in turn led us through the hospitals bureaucracy.
• High-quality and cheap health care: Rena was treated in the outpatient clinic of the Kyoto First Red Cross Hospital. We had to wait more than an hour in a busy waiting room for the pediatrician. The pediatrician used the latest technology (a portable ultrasound machine) and took a urine sample to the lab. The total hospital bill was ¥7,450 (about $75), and the medicines cost ¥5,250 (about $52). This is about the same as our co-payment in the USA for a similar hospital visit.
• A heaven for bicycle riders: There are many bicycle drivers in Tokyo and Kyoto. People ride their bike to the local supermarket and carry the food in front and back mounted baskets. Kyoto has parking lots for bikes near subway stations. You pay to get your bike locked in the parking place.
• No theft: people leave their bikes on the street without locking them.
• Traditions: Japanese keep many old traditions, like the Japan-style date (the year from the coronation of the current emperor). All official documents (like Taxi licenses and JR free passes) contain the Japanese date. Other documents (like receipts and expiration dates) are Gregorian (civil) dates.

We did not like:

• The heat and humidity. Worse than New Jersey in the summer. People who are prone to headaches suffer a lot.
• Smoking in restaurants and public places. Most restaurants allow smoking, and trains have smoking cars. We often had to leave a restaurant because of the smoke.
• Lack of English menus. Most restaurants had no English menus. It is almost impossible to keep Kosher if you do not know what are the ingredients of a dish.
• No towels in most public bathrooms. Most Japanese carry a small towel with the size of a handkerchief. I suppose this is how they dry their hands.
• Large amount of (recyclable) waste. Since there are vending machines at every corner, I have not seen any Japanese who drank from a reusable container. On the positive side, there was a recycling bin near almost every vending machine.

• No bicycle helmets. No bike rider had a helmet. Don't they know it is dangerous?

Japan Trip Highlights

• Shinkansen (bullet trains). They are fast (250 km/h), punctual, convenient, frequent, and spotless. Why can't we have them at home?
• Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto.
• Walking inside a dense cloud in Owakudani (the highest point of the Sounzan-Togendai ropeway in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park).
• Kobe beef meal at Itoh Dining in Kyoto. The beef melts in your mouth after chewing it 2-3 times. Amazing!
• Osaka Aquarium (especially the large tank of Pacific Ocean fish and octopi) and eating sweet fluffy ice afterwards.
• The A-bomb dome and peace museum in Hiroshima.
• A private tour of the Kamigamo shrine in Tokyo and speaking with the priest.
• Visiting the great Buddha and feeding assertive deer in Nara.
• Visiting the International Manga Museum in Kyoto.
• Visiting the Hama Rikyu garden in Tokyo.
• Visiting the Sanjusangendo Hall in Kyoto with its 1001 Buddhas and 28 guarding deities.
• Attending the show in Kyoto's Gion corner.
• Watching the tuna auctions in the busy Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
• Watching the English version of the 6th Harry Potter movie in Tokyo.
• Visiting the Tamozawa Imperial Villa and its garden in Nikko.
• Visiting the Nijo-jo castle and the shogun's palace (Ninomaru Palace) in Kyoto.
• Visiting the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (near Tokyo).
• Buying realistic fake plastic food models in Tokyo's Kappabashi-dori.
• Buying handkerchiefs in a Tokyo department store.
• Eating a tofu meal in Ryoanji Yudofuya restaurant while seating on mats around low tables and watching the pond (near Ryoanji temple in Kyoto).
• Youth watching in Tokyo's Harajuku on Sunday.
• Getting pampered in the hotel. New slippers and nightgowns every day.

Japan trip day 21: Kyoto (August 5th, 2009)

Checked out from the hotel in the morning. The hotel staff took our luggage on a cart to the entrance of the Kyoto Shinkansen station by using one of the hotel's escalators (very impressive). The hotel staff told me that we could have shipped our luggage ahead of time from one hotel to the other or even ship it to the airport, so we do not have to carry it around.

We placed most of the luggage behind the last row of seats in the car as we boarded the train. We then transferred our luggage to the Narita Express (NEX) train at Shinagawa station (the first stop of this particular train).

In the airport my ornamental sword was inspected by a Japanese policeman to ensure that it is fake. We ate small yet delicious tuna sandwiches for lunch in a coffee shop. I then bought Japanese candies for ¥4000 to use our remaining cash. We flight to the US had no noteworthy events.

The van that we reserved ahead of time arrived late. The driver did not have $3 to pay for the toll to exit from the airport's parking lot. He then drove too fast. After we arrived home I called to complain about him.

Japan trip day 20: Kyoto (August 4th, 2009)

Took Dan and Shirley to Nara early in the morning (around 8am) to avoid the heat. Rena stayed in the hotel with Dorit. Took a bus from Nara train station to the park instead of walking in the sun. Visited the Todaiji temple and saw the great sitting Buddha, which is Japan's largest bronze Buddha. The great Buddha is housed in the largest wooden structure in the world. Shirley passed easily through the hole in one of the columns, which means that she will be enlightened. Bought deer cookies and fed the deer on the way. The deer are quite persistent, and they bite your pants back pocket to get more cookies. Returned to Kyoto around noon.

Dan and I took the Shinkansen to Tokyo in the afternoon. We went to Kappabashi-dougugai Dori street, which is Japan's largest wholesale area for cookware and restaurant supplies. We bought realistic plastic models of a bunch of grapes, a persimmon, and a cup of iced tee. We also bought long chopsticks for cooking. We took the Shinkansen back to Kyoto. On the way to the room we bought desserts at the hotel's pastry shop. They were not as good as they looked.

Japan trip day 19: Kyoto (August 3rd, 2009)

Packed everything as we moved from the family room to two separate rooms. Finished packing and returned the keys around 11:30am. Got the key of one of the new rooms around 12:30pm.

Then I went to the Kyoto Handicraft Center to buy a matching long sword and a stand. This purchase made Dan very happy, because a pair of swords is much more impressive than a single sword. However, Dan is not paying for the swords either. Ate a quick lunch in the train station with Dan.

I got the train schedule to Nara and found that we have about 10 minutes to board the express train to Nara (which takes about 45 minutes) instead of the local train, which takes about 90 minutes. Called Dorit on the phone to send the girls down. We were able to board the train in time, which is a new record. The girls went from the room to the station's platform in 8 minutes. Impressive.

Took Dan, Shirley and Rena to Nara by an express commuter train. Shirley felt bad from the heat, so we had to turn back a few minutes after arriving to Nara train station. Maybe she felt worse because I did not have any water with me during the train ride.

Japan trip day 18: Kyoto (August 2nd, 2009)

Dorit wanted to visit a museum, so we decided to visit the Kyoto National museum and the nearby Sanjusangendo Hall.

We took the bus to the Sanjusangendo Hall. As usual, the day was hot and humid. The Sanjusangendo Hall has 1000 small Buddha statues and one huge Buddha statue in a long hall, and additional 28 guarding deities. The Sanjusangendo Hall was the site of archery competitions over the last few hundred years. We bought a two anti-headache charms in the temple's store for Dorit and Shirley.

After visiting the Sanjusangendo Hall, we crossed the street to the Kyoto National Museum. The main collection of the National Kyoto museum was closed for renovation, so we decided to skip it.

We took the bus to the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts (Fureaikan). We ate lunch in a small restaurant/cafe on the way to the crafts museum (cafe 68 if I am not mistaken). It served hamburgers, but they did not taste or look like American hamburgers.

Dan and I entered the exhibition hall of the Museum of Traditional Crafts, while Shirley and Rena made a few crafts, and Dorit stayed with them. Dan and I saw many amazing hand crafts, including carpentry and home altars. A short movie showed the process of building a traditional chest of drawers. This piece of furniture is so exact that pushing in the last drawer into the chest creates air pressure that pushes out the other drawers.

From the Kyoto Museum of Traditional Crafts we walked to the Kyoyo Handicraft Center, which is a 7-stories building containing many shops selling Japanese crafts. I thought that the handicraft center closes at 6pm, so I rushed through the store. Fortunately, it closed at 7pm (summer hours). We bought many souvenirs there, including chopsticks, dolls, a glass plate, and a short ornamental sword. I decided to purchase only one sword because I did not know where we should place it. I though that we will hang the sword on the wall. Dan wanted me to buy a set of swords.