Nov 25, 2018
How much money did you / will you / do you think you should put in the envelope for a 7-5-3 ceremony at a shrine?
Irish, Mom of 4, currently also living beside the In-Laws. 25+ years back and forth between Ireland and Japan! I also write on my personal website: insaitama.com
on Nov 27
on Nov 27
on Jan 11
0 Answers
Today is "Very Good Breakfast Day" in Japan. Do you eat breakfast every day? Japanese or Western? The day also encourages families to eat together, which unfortunately just isn't practical in my home due to all 6 of us having very different schedules. Do you get to eat breakfast with someone or do you eat alone?
8 hours ago
3 Answers
I'd love to be part of a club where I could learn some traditional plant growing, harvesting, and cooking. Learning Japanese calligraphy (shodo) and previously flower arranging (Ikebana) is great too. I've always thought it would be awesome to learn bamboo crafts, more than a short experience making a small already prepared basket. I'm wondering what you'd be interested to learn that is in danger of disappearing if young people (including foreign residents) don't learn it. There are small local efforts to teach students how to grow and harvest rice for a seasonal example. It's a tiny experience that could influence the future supply of an important staple food. I've never had the chance but that would be great and potentially helpful to local farmers.
on Oct 8
3 Answers
I love Gavin Noone's Big Light Protocol, complete with restitution. Do you use the big overhead lights in your rooms? When do you use it? Personally, it only goes on for spills and lost items. Hate the thing.
on Oct 4
9 Answers
With Yayoi Kusama's passing being covered in the media today, I wanted to know about your favorite Japanese artists, past or present. Obviously Kusama is one of mine, but I always like hearing about other artists that I haven't been introduced to before.
on Aug 27
10 Answers
Today, is also Shizuoka Citizen's Day, so - the same as Fukushima - what first comes to mind / do you most associate with Shizuoka Prefecture?
on Aug 21
10 Answers
I feel like this may have been asked before, but I can't find it through a search. Or maybe I thought of asking it and never did! Either way, tell us what things you like to have in your car when you are going on a road trip?
on Aug 21
6 Answers
Given that today is Fukushima Prefecture Citizen's Day; what is the FIRST thing that comes to mind when you hear Fukushima? And / or what do you most associate with the prefecture?
on Aug 21
5 Answers
Earlier I wrote about how my neighborhood's "summer" festival has been moved to autumn. I also wrote a separate post about a summer festival in Kasukabe that has been moved indoors. I know there is a bittersweetness about these changes, but some would argue that something needs to change in the face of rising temperatures. So, I am curious, what would you vote for: 1) Leaving Summer Festivals exactly as they are - same date, same set up etc. 2) Shifting the time of day the festival is on, say for example, from afternoon until after dark 3) Moving the festival from summer to another season or at least to earlier in summer, such as June 4) Moving summer festivals indoors - not really possible for the larger festivals especially those with large floats etc. but maybe they could shift some elements indoors
on Aug 3
7 Answers
I am not a movie-goer at all, but every year I bring the kids to see a film (and they often go with their friends too) during the summer holidays. There seems to be a good choice this year, including Toy Story 5, the Chiikawa movie, the real live action adaption of Moana and the usual annual Crayon Shinchan movie among others. Which movie are you planning to see this summer? Or have you already been to see one (or more)? If so, which one?
on Jul 30
5 Answers
Do you know your consumer rights in Japan? And if so, would you be willing to share anything about them? For example, what is the policy on returns? I am very familiar with my consumer rights in my home country, and they are very widely publicized back home, but information doesn't seem to be as transparent or readily available here. Or is that just me?
on Mar 15
18 Answers
Today, February 20th, is Ehime Prefecture Day. What do you most associate with Ehime Prefecture, what is the very first thing that comes to mind when I say "Ehime Prefecture"!?
on Feb 20
8 Answers
The other day, on "Strawberry Day" I wrote about "Yoshimin", the strawberry mascot of Yoshimi. I thought it might be fun to introduce a few others, so I've just written about "Tokimo" the mascot of Kawagoe. And I plan to introduce a couple of my favorites. It begs the question, do you have a favorite mascot? And how about writing a post on City-cost about your favorite or a local mascot? Pictured "Umerin" who I plan to write about next!
on Jan 17
Sign in to City-Cost and enhance your life-in-Japan experience.
Log in with City-CostDon't have an account? SIGN UP
By logging in you agree to the our privacy policy and terms of use.
3 Answers