From 'love is in the air' to settling down in Taiping

TAIPING - From literally out of the blue sky, a Japanese girl met the love of her life, a man from Taiping, while they were working together as cabin crew members.

Although their relationship faced a significant test when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Nao Dobashi, 28, is now happily married to Ashraf Danial Anuar, 32, and lives in Taiping, Perak, with their two children, three-year-old Sophia and one-year-old Alpha.

A homemaker now, Nao said the first time she came to Taiping, she already knew it was the best place for her, describing the town as peaceful. Most of all, she was astounded by its vast tracts of greenery.

"The first time I visited Taiping was in 2019. I was excited by how green it was because there were a lot of trees around and I found it very peaceful. I did travel to Kuala Lumpur and Penang before but both cities were congested with traffic,” she said when met by Bernama, here recently.

After they got married in 2019, Nao and Ashraf Danial had to contend with a long-distance relationship as she continued to stay in Japan. Then came the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 but after the birth of Alpha, Nao moved to Taiping for good.

Nao said she finds the locals nice and friendly and loves the local food, which she described as delicious. Her favourite dishes are ‘kuetiau’ and ‘tom yam’.

"In general, I love almost every food here as long as it is not too spicy,” she added.

On the cultural and lifestyle differences, Nao said at first it was hard for her to adapt to Malaysia’s hot and humid weather as she was accustomed to her homeland’s four seasons.

"The truth is, I can’t live without air conditioners because it’s so hot here,” she said, grinning.

Nao said she is thankful to her mother-in-law and Ashraf Danial’s sisters who helped her to adapt to the Malaysian culture as she learned a lot from them.

Another thing that impressed Nao is how Malaysians love to help people in need which, according to her, is rare in her country.

"You can see people here donating money to others without even knowing who they are, either on the streets or in restaurants, but it’s rare for you to see that happening in Japan because it is not part of our culture,” she said.

When asked what aspects of Malaysia she wished could be brought to Japan, Nao said Japan could open more halal restaurants for the Muslim community.

"It’s very hard to find halal food in Japan. If more halal food is available in Japan, then more Muslims can travel to that country,” she said.

Meanwhile, her husband Ashraf Danial now operates a restaurant in Simpang here. Called Restoran Nasi Bani Melayu, it is open daily, except Wednesday, from 3 pm to midnight.

He said he ventured into the restaurant business after losing his job during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"When I got that email from the airline I worked for, it was like a wake-up call for me to find a way to make a living. At first, I cooked just for fun before the idea of opening a restaurant came about,” he said.

He said the food and beverage business was not new to him because back in 2014, he used to help his parents at their restaurant.

"The skills I learned came in useful after I lost my job,” he said, adding his restaurant’s specialty is ‘Nasi Bani Melayu’. He also provides delivery services. Orders can be placed through this number: 011-36578283. - BERNAMA