http://www.city-cost.comTue, 19 May 2026 16:35:51 +0900Hi guys ;) I like to do training. wanna share information about training and my daily life in Japan.enCopyright © 2015 - 2026 City-Cost All Rights Reserved.webmaster@city-cost.com (CC Team)http://img.city-cost.com/static/blog_campaign_icon.pnghttp://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MP0VM-living_tokyoJapan’s long holiday in May (Golden Week) is over. Did anyone go anywhere interesting?Me, I made use of my recently bought road bike, and went cycling with a friend. It was my first time to take the bike out for a long ride.I planned to set out from home at 9:30 and head to the place where I was due to meet my friend (at Noborito Station / 登戸駅 in Kawasaki) before cycling to Tama River. Not yet used to the new road bike, I ran into a few difficulties during preparation, particularly getting air into the tires. I think my pump had been left outside for about 5 years and was a little damaged. No matter how many times I pumped it, not much air was going into the tires. In the end, I had to use the ‘emergency pump’ that I’d prepared as part of my puncture repair kit.Finally, I headed out with some force; the quadriceps operating at full capacity! Still not used to the bike though, after 15 mins the body was already feeling heavy!After about 45 mins, I arrived at Noborito Station. My friend appeared in full cycling gear. I, on the other hand, was just in shorts and t-shirt. The road bike beginner that I am, over the next few hours realised why my friend was turned out in full cycling gear.Just after setting out, my friend remarked on his empty stomach and took us to a nearby McDonald’s for an energy fix. Actually, in regards to this, I had thought that one hamburger would cover my energy needs for the ride. On the way home, though, I did find myself ‘hitting the wall’, making for a tough end to the ride.So, we headed out straight after our hamburgers, and cycled up to the road/path that runs alongside the Tama River (多摩川), continuing this route without rest.After two hours of cycling, at around 1 pm it started to rain. The plan had been to keep pushing on, but I hadn’t packed any rain gear, nor had I checked the weather forecast, such was my impatience to set out!So, part way along the route, we stopped off at a famous cycle shop in Tokyo, Y’s Road, and gave our bikes the once over. The first thing I noticed was that there was hardly any air in my tires. Really, tire air pressure should be at around 120. Mine were at about 75. Before setting out, I’d thought that I’d put plenty of air in. Maybe due to the emergency hand pump though, I was way off.With the rain falling, we stayed at Y’s Road for a while and assessed our situation.Y's Road Fuchuu Tamagawa (ワイズロード府中多摩川)And … the rain didn’t stop.Still, we couldn’t stay there the whole time, so after a quick consultation, we decided to head home. With the air in the tires up to 120, I noticed a big difference in my bike’s speed.We went back using the same route. Turning the pedals steadily, I found that my quadriceps now had more power in them than on the way out, and the muscles banged away without relenting. What was different now? Perhaps the fact that heavy rain clouds were approaching from behind!In this way, we made it back to Noborito Station, and had a quick coffee break before going our separate ways.And this is when I ‘hit the wall’!It started as a light headache, before turning into a strange kind of chill. I also became really sleepy. Initially I thought perhaps I’d caught a cold, but this didn’t seem right. After an Internet search it seems I’d ‘hit the wall’ (ハンガーノック / hunger knock - in Japanese) and run out of gas.Hitting the wall.In endurance sports such as cycling and running, hitting the wall or the bonk describes a condition caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, which manifests itself by sudden fatigue and loss of energy.wikipediaLooking back, I realise now that I didn’t have anything to eat after that McDonald’s in the morning. That amounts to a calorie intake of 1,300 kcal. 4 hours of pedaling a bike burns off over 1,000 kcal. Add to this the calories that your metabolism burns off anyway, and you’re soon down well over 1,300 kcal. So, it’s no wonder I was out of gas by the end of our Tama River ride.It wasn’t until 7pm that I finally ate again, so I felt in pretty bad shape. I needed to replenish those calories, so that night I ate hamburg (ハンバーグ).Hamburg (600g), rice, pasta, and curry.Actually, I’m aware that this is probably too much food!! That said, about 30 mins after eating this my condition improved. The chill went away and my normal body temperature returned. For a moment there, I thought that the human body is a funny thing.Back to the cycling wear thing. Because I was only in shorts and t-shirt, by the end of the day my backside was sore. It stayed that way throughout the next day.For the next cycling trip, I want to be sure to eat something part way through. I’ve also ordered some cycling wear online (Amazon), so I intend to be fully kitted out and in perfect condition to have a go at a 100km ride.Distance cycled (including to/from home): ~ 50kmStart point: Noborito Station (Nambu Line)Goal: Yaho Station (Nambu Line)To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MP0VM-living_tokyoMon, 09 May 2016 16:01:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MP0VM-living_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MAK5G-living_food_tokyo_setagaya-kuPeople who like meat! I thought I would write about a way to eat delicious meat in Japan, on the cheap.How are you guys preparing your regular, everyday meats? For example, do you tenderise it by pounding/beating it, many times over? A ‘beating’ spree, of sorts!!On this occasion, I tried tenderising meat by soaking it in cola.The meat here is a rump steak (ランプステーキ) weighing in a 480g and costing 1,046 yen. This is very reasonable, for Japan. I bought it from a supermarket called 肉のハナマサ / niku no hanamasa. Steak is expensive in Japan. Ordering a 480g steak at a restaurant might cost between 5,000 - 7,000 yen. At a ‘nice’ restaurant, that could be over 12,000 yen.Expensive, right? Personally, I think it’s too expensive. So, I’ve been looking into cheaper ways to prepare and cook meat, at home. One idea that came out, was to soak it in cola.Why cola? Well, because it’s cheap (one bottle over here can cost 98 yen). I’ve also read that you can use things like pineapple (パイナップル) and onion (玉ねぎ).So, what happens when you soak a steak in cola?“ … the meat’s muscle fibres and connective tissues absorb the liquid/moisture of the marinade. Also, under the influence of the marinade’s liquid pH, an enzyme contained in the meat’s protein becomes active and breaks down the structure of the meat.”I recommend soaking your meat in cola for around 20 mins. Then, drain off any remaining cola, wash the steak in cold water, and then wipe away any drops. Throw your steak into a well heated frying pan and listen to it go wild!When the streak has lightly burned on one side, turn it over and simmer on a light heat for around 5 mins. After this, turn off the stove/burner and let the steak sit in the pan for a short while, allowing the remaining heat to penetrate the inside of the steak. Then take it out and cut.So, how is it? Looks perfect to me! From the way meat handles, you can tell how soft and tender it is.If you’re worried about the cola? Well, you can’t taste it!Ultimately, you can go to an unfamiliar restaurant and pay 1,200 yen in Japan for a tough 200g steak, or with a little effort you can fill your stomach to satisfaction with 480g, 1,046 yen steak. Personally, I absolutely choose the latter.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MAK5G-living_food_tokyo_setagaya-kuMon, 11 Apr 2016 15:11:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MAK5G-living_food_tokyo_setagaya-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GLXvG-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-kuLooking for a car wash? Particularly in Japan’s urban areas, houses tend not to have their own car parks/driveways or gardens. Nor do they tend to have an outdoor water tap through which to connect a hose. Well, OK, maybe some people who are able to buy a detached house will have these, but for people living in rented apartments and mansions (マンション), when they want to wash their cars, they usually have to look for, and go to, the nearest car wash.It’s the same for me, too. Although in my case, the nearest car wash is a 30 minute drive from my house. There are car washes equipped with ‘car washing’ equipment, or with staff who will wash your car for you, near my my house, but make no mistake, at these kinds of places your car will get scratched. Even if you only use them one time. People who drive white/light grey cars may not notice this.Of course, if you know your cars and your paint jobs, going to a ‘DIY’ car wash may not be a problem. However, I think most people don’t know too much about their cars, and paying the professionals to wash it can be expensive.So, I’d been thinking about this for about a half a year, how to get around the hassle of washing my car (without it getting scratched) … without going to a car wash, without using gas, without access to an outdoor tap, without the high cost. Basically the quickest and easiest way, without all of this. And all of a sudden, I found it.セフティー3 ハイパワー電池式噴霧器 5L ホース1.7m ノズル40~90cm 1頭2頭切替 SSD-5HThinking outside of the box a little, with a power/pressure hose, the kind that they usually use for farm work, you can wash your car and meet all the criteria above.I bought power/pressure hose from a nearby home center, but you can also get it on Amazon a little cheaper (4,700yen).The important qualities of this hose is that it’s battery powered and it has two nozzles. Most spray hoses you buy in Japan only have one. Oh, and this one can actually handle 5L of water!After giving it a try, I found that in total, I replenished the water 3 times, and so used 15L in washing one car.With this jet spray, you can choose between left and right nozzles, and it also has a ‘spray’ setting. My recommendation is to set it at ‘spray’ from both nozzles and give your car an ‘overall’ wash. Then, when you’ve finished with the car wash soap, set one nozzle to ‘spray’ and the other to regular ‘hose’, and you can then rinse away the soap at the same time as giving the car a strong blast!The picture below will give you a better idea of what I mean. You may be worried about the power being too strong, but if you try for yourself, you’ll see that there is no problem with this. (Of course, compared to the power hoses used at a car wash, the power here is weaker).The water comes from here.Use 6 separate batteries like the ones below. Be careful to select the right ones.Put the batteries in, in the correct way.The power button.Only two settings with the power button; ‘on’ and ‘off’.It’s also possible to buy ‘hand pumped/pressurised’ hoses. They are about 1,000 yen cheaper than the battery-powered one that I bought. A breakdown of time and cost when using a regular car wash facility …30mins - travelling to the carwash30mins - washing30mins - travelling back from the carwashI use about 500 yen in gas for the journey, and the car wash costs about 600 yen. That’s a total of 1,100 yen. The time taken is about 1 hr 30 mins. With this hose though, no travel was required and I’ll only have to wash the car 4 times to start saving money. I’m confident my new power hose isn’t going to break before then, so over the course of a year I think this will mean a good cost-performance!Frankly speaking, for people who like cars, I really recommend this method of car wash. You should try it. It’s cheap, effective, doesn’t require an outdoor water tap, and there are no time restrictions.セフティー3 ハイパワー電池式噴霧器 5L ホース1.7m ノズル40~90cm 1頭2頭切替 SSD-5HTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GLXvG-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-kuMon, 11 Apr 2016 13:07:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GLXvG-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wkQrz-living_tokyo_minato-kuSaw something cool today. It was a new bicycle parking facility that has recently been built in my neighborhood. Looking at it, I thought it was absolutely amazing! Or maybe it’s just me …With normal bicycle parking in Japan you, perhaps, go to a kind of reception and from there push the bicycle yourself into available space. With the one I saw today though, you place your bicycle on at the ‘machine’ and it gets taken to a parking space automatically.It’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this in over 30 years of living in Tokyo. Real high-tech stuff. At first, I thought I would go in with the bicycle, but on closer inspection I saw that the ‘elevator’ used to take the bikes into the parking spaces was so small, you would have to be a hobbit from Lord of the Rings to get through.After asking an ‘official’ nearby, I understood that you just put your bike on a special ‘lane’ and the machine does the rest. What’s really great about this system is that there’s no way of rides being stolen. For people with nice road bikes, for example, it can be a bit of a worry to leave them outside in the city. But with this parking facility that worry is taken away.It costs 1,800 yen (adults) and 1,300 yen (students) to use this parking, per month. Not so expensive, I think. Of course, you can use it for shorter time periods, too. It costs 150 yen for 24 hrs, with the first two hours free of charge.I think this a great system, and it would be good to see more of them in Japan’s cities.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wkQrz-living_tokyo_minato-kuThu, 17 Mar 2016 19:07:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wkQrz-living_tokyo_minato-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/zKn3M-livingWhen winter comes to the Tokyo area, the skies become clear and the view from high buildings is really fantastic.That said, I hate winter. Why?In winter, outside you need to wear thick clothes, but when you use the trains you sweat. Then when you get off the train and leave the station that sweat turns cold and you start to freeze. So, you walk at a fast pace to wherever you’re going, take off your thick coat, and find that because you were moving so quickly you’re body has heated up and your sweating, again!On top of that, after the sweat has dried (for the second time) from late afternoon into the evening you start to smell. Now, I go to the gym, too. So, more sweat. Get home, and it dries … for the third time!Even though it’s winter, the body becomes smelly.Summer in Tokyo is the opposite, you’re constantly sweating and there’s no chance for it dry. In winter though, the sweating / drying effect leaves me feeling really unclean.I hope that winter hurries up and finishes soon.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/zKn3M-livingWed, 02 Mar 2016 15:23:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/zKn3M-livinghttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GO37G-living_education_tokyo_meguro-kuI haven’t been doing much training recently. Before, I was going to the gym at least three times a week. These days I go once, maybe twice, a week.That said, one good thing about this decrease in gym time, is that my body has time to recover properly between sessions. At the start of each session now, I have more stamina and power than when I was training 3 times a week. As I’d thought, giving your body a rest is important.During a recent gym session, I focused on biceps.The most important thing when working on biceps must surely be ‘form’. Of course the balance between your figure and body weight is also important. Firstly though, I should say, if you’re training with weights that YOU think are not having any effect, then chances are, you’re wasting your time.To a certain degree, equipment weight is obviously important, and you may think about increasing this. However, it’s at that point when you can feel yourself starting to shake under the weight, that keeping a good, clean form is more important than anything else.Of course, even advanced lifters, to support nerve fibers, will avoid weight that causes them to shake. However, the purpose here is different. For those who want to ‘bulk up’, you’re not going to achieve muscle growth this way.To stress the importance of this, I’ve made a video to demonstrate. In particular, pay attention to my elbow position and that fact that it doesn’t move so much. (Try to be conscious of forwards/backwards elbow movement as being ineffective). Filming your own exercises is a good way to check whether or not your elbow is moving. If you don’t pay attention, you’ll be wondering whether, during this exercise, your elbow is moving or your lower back is moving.My regular bicep training ‘menu’ at the gym:16kg x 2reps14kg x 5reps12kg x 8reps7kg x 10reps5kg x 10repsRecently, I haven’t been doing a fixed number of sets for the above ‘menu’. Also, as in the video, I’ve been using an EZ Bar to mix things up. For me, I set the weight in the 25-30 kg range.On top of this, I use a lighter weight to do some arm curls, where I focus on lifting and lowering slowly. It seems to be pretty effective so it’s something I recommend you give a try.To develop moderate muscle mass will probably take at least 3 months so, even if you feel like you’re not seeing any change early on, it’s important to stay motivated and continue with these exercises.The gym for this training session - Anytime Fitness Toritsudaigaku branchTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GO37G-living_education_tokyo_meguro-kuMon, 28 Dec 2015 14:49:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GO37G-living_education_tokyo_meguro-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MERvz-living_food_tokyo_shinagawa-kuNegi make strong immune system.Good for winter.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MERvz-living_food_tokyo_shinagawa-kuFri, 25 Dec 2015 16:45:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MERvz-living_food_tokyo_shinagawa-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wrQXG-living_food_tokyo_setagaya-kuToday when i tried to eat natto, i realized it was past the expiration date. But i still wanted to eat it and it smelled okay.I hope i'm ok tomorrow.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wrQXG-living_food_tokyo_setagaya-kuWed, 16 Dec 2015 21:54:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wrQXG-living_food_tokyo_setagaya-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wXmoM-living_tokyoNo rain, no cold.Weather was nice today.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wXmoM-living_tokyoWed, 16 Dec 2015 20:24:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wXmoM-living_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MYXxw-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuWe’d done most of the cleaning of our old house (from which we recently moved) but some of the floor tiles were still packed with stubborn dirt and stains. Getting them clean was a process of trial and error. In the end, what I found worked, was a combination of tooth brush and some orange-ingredient-based detergent.The picture above was taken before using the detergent. The picture below, after.Cost of the toothbrush: 150 yen. The detergent: 400 yen.If you’re trying to remove and dirt/grime from floor tiles , I really recommend this method.Postshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MYXxw-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuMon, 14 Dec 2015 15:32:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MYXxw-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MdBWG-living_food_tokyo_minato-kuShocking! I ate steak for lunch today and after finishing, something long and worm-like came out of a chunk of meat! As I separated the meat, it kept coming out!It was endless and really disgusting!The picture above was taken before eating. Looks nice, I know.Even so, I’m gonna feel bad for the rest of the day.The dish was a 400 g steak set with a large rice. It cost 1,300 yen.For 400 g, it’s not too bad a price, I think.Shame about the long worm-like thing though!!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MdBWG-living_food_tokyo_minato-kuTue, 08 Dec 2015 14:38:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MdBWG-living_food_tokyo_minato-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MqQRM-living_medical_tokyo_setagaya-kuWhat is this?! My right hip has been hurting since last week, particularly when I try to twist my leg inwards. It’s not a sharp pain. It’s a dull ache.I didn’t do anything particularly unusual in training last week; I must just be getting old! I went to the gym to train yesterday as well, and the pain was still pretty strong.I’ll keep an eye on it for a little while longer, but if there’s no improvement, I think I might go and get it checked out at a hospital. Feels like maintaining health has become harder these days!I do a lot of weight training but don’t spend so much time on stretching/flexibility. Perhaps I should build up more strength in this area.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MqQRM-living_medical_tokyo_setagaya-kuTue, 01 Dec 2015 15:10:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MqQRM-living_medical_tokyo_setagaya-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/G7RWz-living_education_tokyo_meguro-ku_setagaya-kuYesterday, I went to the Toritsu daigaku branch of Anytime Fitness gym. I usually go to the Komazawa Koen branch, but the one at the Toritsu daigaku looked to be much bigger. I wanted to check it out at least once.Entering the gym, something on one of their flyers caught my attention (see the pic above). Yep, another example of strange English in Japan. The same flyer is in my regular gym, too, (they’re part of the same franchise afterall). “Your Gym is Our Gym” goes without saying, I would have thought, but the nuance of this phrase seems to be sneering something along of the lines of “What’s yours belongs to us!”. I went in, started stretching, and thought briefly that the only appropriate way to reply to someone telling you, “Your gym is our gym!”, would be too spit back, “Oi! What the hell are you saying?”. :)The next line on the flyer reads, “あなたのジムは、みんなのジムです。/ anata no gym wa minna no gym desu. Anyone with an understanding of Japanese will interpret this as a request to mind your manners within the facility (the literal translation is, Your gym is everyone’s gym.). If we’re talking about ‘manners’, I’ve been to many gyms in Japan up to this point, and the thing that bothers me most is when users drop their dumbbells on the floor with a loud clang. Not only is it really noisy, it’s also an ineffective way to train . I suppose it’s to the detriment of the people doing it, but above all, it’s just a massive pain for other users! Other than this, I’ve yet to see any other examples of bad manners in Japan’s gyms. That said, there have been posters saying something to the effect of, ‘A stench is coming from the lockers. Please take your gym wear and training shoes home with you!’. Shoes in particular, right? For people like joggers, theirs can have a super acidic pong!!Anyway, this doesn’t bother me too much. For now, I want to write about yesterday’s training schedule. Recently, before and after gym sessions, I’ve been lacking energy. Given my work and other commitments, two sessions a week is the best I can do. So, this time I thought I’d try out an energy drink before working out. I went for the Monster energy drink to give me a caffeine boost!Yesterday’s session started around 12:00 am (yes, midnight) and finished around 1:30 am, so I got in a good hour and a half. Comparing the Metropolitan Uni gym with the one at Komazawa Koen, it’s about twice the size, and there’s much more space between machines so I could take my time and not worry so much about bumping into other users.The Komazawa Koen gym is so small and cramped, you really have to take care when moving between machines, and it feels like you might have to move out the way yourself during a set! It can really affect your concentration. The machines themselves though, are about the same in each branch.Yesterday was upper-body training, so today will be lower-body. Oh, and I might throw in some shoulder work, too. During yesterday’s session I didn’t to do my regular side raise reps with dumbbells. What can I say, my arms were too tired!I took in a nutrition drink before starting and so was able to stretch myself right to the end of the session. As I thought though, I was pretty tired, so a boost of caffeine as well, really gave me a much needed kick! I’ll be sure to remember it for next time.Yep, yesterday was a good training session.Let me know what you think!Please follow my twitter : @yujuTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/G7RWz-living_education_tokyo_meguro-ku_setagaya-kuWed, 18 Nov 2015 14:50:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/G7RWz-living_education_tokyo_meguro-ku_setagaya-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wrVXw-living_money_transportation_tokyo_koto-kuIt’s gotten cold recently, hasn’t it? Yep, it’s that time of year again; onsen going season!So it is that I went for a hot soak at the weekend. Did we all know that there are hot springs (onsen) within the Tokyo metropolitan area? The one I went to is 30 mins on the Yurikamome Line from Shimbashi Station. Get off at Telecom Center Station (テレコムセンター駅)."Oedo Onsen"Adult (jr.high +)Daytime admissionWeekdays：2,480yenWeekends & Holidays：2,680yenSpecial days：2,880yenA bus service for the onsen operates from Tokyo Teleport (東京テレポート), Shinagawa Station (品川駅), and Tokyo Station (東京駅), so the transport links are pretty convenient. This, along with the cheap and unfussy admission policy makes the onsen highly recommended as a place that both adults and kids can enjoy.That said, in this onsen as with pretty much all others, you’ll have to get naked in public! A challenge for some! Still, it’s pretty spacious and even with a lot of people, I don’t think it feels crowded. Compared to the onsen, the shops and restaurants in the surrounding area are much busier with people.Despite this onsen being easy to get to though, returning home on lazy muscles after a long soak is much less hassle if you’ve got a car!To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wrVXw-living_money_transportation_tokyo_koto-kuMon, 16 Nov 2015 17:58:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wrVXw-living_money_transportation_tokyo_koto-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GyP3z-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-ku_katsushika-kuWell, the moving part is done. However, our previous place was a 3LDK and the new one is only a 2LDK so we’re having trouble making room for all of our clutter! Actually, we threw away a truck load of our stuff before the move but even so, our new place is still bursting at the seams! With little closet space at our disposal, there’s nowhere to put it all.At the weekend we went to a home center to buy storage units, and did our best to clean up the new place, so even though the ‘moving’ part is done, it still feels like we’re really busy. That said, we’ve pretty much finished cleaning our previous place and have got it looking nice and clean (if I do say so myself).Soon after moving we had to go to our new ward office to complete the usual sort of paperwork that comes with any change in Japan. It was pretty tough. Public offices like this tend to close around 5 pm, so I had to take time off work and rush to get it all done.As I mentioned before, for this house move we did most of the work ourselves. With a family of four I knew it was going to be tough. It turned out to be even harder than I expected though! Maybe next time I’ll bring in the professionals! But hang on ...Including cleaning, we made three round trips between our current and former homes (by car). That’s about 10,000 yen in transportation costs, bringing the total cost for the process of moving to around 50,000 yen.Had we called in the help of professionals we might have had to pay around 200,000 yen. By doing things ourselves we’ve made a saving of 150,000 yen!!For more ‘know-how’ on moving with a family of four for less than 50,000 yen …Moving to a New Apartment - Part ThreeMoving to a New Apartment - Part TwoMoving to a New Apartment - Part OneTo be continued …To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GyP3z-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-ku_katsushika-kuTue, 27 Oct 2015 16:40:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GyP3z-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-ku_katsushika-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MdvBG-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-ku_katsushika-kuSo it’s finally time for the move! Wow! The preparation was really tough.The last time we did this, there were only three of us; two adults, one baby, and not very much in the way of stuff. That move was pretty easy. Now though, we’re a family of four; a two-year old, a five-year old, two adults, and a shed load more baggage.Planning anything, soon becomes a pain for me. Consequently, I’d left it pretty tight before I began preparing. It wasn’t until two days prior that I started collecting empty boxes from my local drugstore and the Don Quijote nearby.Like most people, we discard our cardboard boxes, so if like us, you find yourselves short (and you’re about to move house), get down your local supermarket where you can pick some up for free. If it’s a large size you’re after, drugstore. If you’re fine with something a little smaller, I recommend the supermarket.Drugstore boxes are suited for stuff that can be packed in a regular fashion, toilet rolls for example. If you find yourselves with bits and bobs in an awkward number, and box that just won’t accommodate, places like home centers have empty boxes for sale. Expect to pay around 100 - 400 yen, depending on size.Still, seems a shame to be paying good money just for a box. It’ll only get thrown away after use! No, if you’ve an impending house move, I’d recommend about one week before, you start making regular trips to the supermarket to collect some boxes.As for things like clothes, stuffing them in some plastic bags (as above) is an easy enough way to get them ready for a move!On this occasion, we only called on a removal service to take the fridge and the washing machine. As we moved everything else ourselves, we were able to keep costs down. So at this point, we’re about 70% through the process of moving house. We’ve got the rest to look forward to this weekend!Our Moving Costs:Family of four (two adults, two children)Boxes: 5,000 yen (small/large - 10)Removal service: 23,000 yen (refrigerator & washing machine)Truck rental: 0 yen (borrowed from a friend)Highway fees: 5,400 yen (3 return trips)Gasoline: 6,000 yenTotal: ~ 40,000 yenOh, after getting our stuff into the new house, a new problem reared its head. We’re currently reduced to using the toilet at a nearby convenience store. See image above!Moving to a New Apartment - Part ThreeMoving to a New Apartment - Part TwoMoving to a New Apartment - Part OneTo be continued …To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MdvBG-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-ku_katsushika-kuThu, 15 Oct 2015 19:37:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/MdvBG-living_money_tokyo_setagaya-ku_katsushika-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GLyPw-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuThis weekend, my family and I will be really busy.That's because we are moving next week.We haven't really started packing yet..We need to hurry, though. We don't have much time.I'm too tired to do it tonight, though..hey kitty what are you thinking.I'll eat this dinner, and then I need to start preparing!Moving to a New Apartment - Part ThreeMoving to a New Apartment - Part TwoMoving to a New Apartment - Part OneTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GLyPw-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuWed, 07 Oct 2015 23:57:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/GLyPw-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/w2oxM-living_tokyoLast week a friend and I set out climb the highest mountain in Tokyo.Mt. Kumotori (雲取山) is an accessible peak from the capital, straddling the prefectural borders of Tokyo, Saitama, and Yamanashi. It sits at a height of 2,017 m. Using trains from Tokyo Station, you can be at the base of the peak in about two hours. Driving there will take 2-3 hours, depending on traffic.It had been about eight years since I’d last climbed a mountain, a pretty long break by any standard. That said, since last year I’ve been training hard lifting weights, and actually this was to be the fourth time I would climb this mountain. I felt like I might be … OK!A number of routes lead to Kumotori’s summit. We opted for the shortest! Although it’s also regarded as the hardest; the Kamozawa course. For the strong walker, this route will take just over five hours to the summit. Others courses require ten!Our schedule for the climb …Kamozawa trailhead: 14:005th stage / Campsite: 17:305th stage / Set out:8:00Kumatori summit:10:00Sho-Kumotori / Lunch:12:00Kamozawa trailhead:16:30Mt. Kumatori - 5th Stage hut, 2nd daySetting out on the Kamozawa trailhead, it wasn’t not long before we entered an area of woodland. Initially a gentle route, the mountain slope became steeper, and after about an hour we were panting heavily with the effort. Sweat poured out of me like a waterfall and we needed to take many breaks. It seemed like a long time since we had set out on the climb and we were yet to arrive at the 5th stage campsite before my eyes became tired.To add to our woes, we had neglected the fact that you really should be climbing with a headlamp at night. Consequently, we hadn’t packed one. Big mistake!Still, this was my fourth time on the mountain so I was pretty familiar with the route. However, climbing in the dark is dangerous (as if it needs to be said), and next time I’ll be sure to set out on any climb with more time to spare!Eventually, at about 8 pm we were at the campsite and started cooking our dinner. We were in our sleeping bags by 10. My body was tired, my legs were tired, too, but for about two hours I just couldn’t get to sleep!Note to self! Docomo’s cell phone signal is poor in mountains!We rose early on the second day and ate breakfast. After my friend had finally packed up the tent, we set out for the summit.Differing from the first half of our ascent, for about an hour, there were many points where the path was, comparatively gentle. However, it soon became devilish, with many sections declining steeply only to be followed by fierce inclines that we hadn’t experienced earlier in the ascent. It robbed us of our strength more than we could have imagined.Climbing mountains is not just about the ascent, though. You have to think about the descent also, and pace yourself accordingly. With heavy bags and tired legs, we were aware of the difficulties of descending that day. So, after a brief discussion with my friend, we decided it would be best to hide our bags in the bushes and complete the final part of the ascent without carrying anything. Looking around us though, we could see that the other climbers had already left their gear in their tents before making the final ascent.After a few hours walking, we made it to Mt. Kumotori’s summit. However, we couldn’t see a thing!On a clear day, it’s possible to see Mt.Fuji. That day, it wasn’t to be. Nothing to do but go back down. Plus, with the wind, it was really cold at the top!After a few breaks on the way down, we eventually managed to escape from the mountain.Thinking back, stopping the climb halfway up to stay the night, and then having only one day to make it to the summit and get back down again was bit of a stress. I was worried whether or not my legs would be able to handle it. I was right to have been. Three hours into the descent my knees started killing me and my friend had to slow his pace because of aching legs. For me though, the more I slowed down, the more it drained my strength. Instead, I kept up my pace and then took breaks to give my friend time to catch up. We joked during the descent that if we hadn’t ditched our bags on the way up, we would have never made it down in one day. As it was, the descent took us about five hours.Still, during the last hour my legs were so tired I could barely walk. I had to spread the burden that I was putting on my knees to other parts of the body that weren’t doing their fair share of the work! How to do this? Walk backwards! (And we weren’t the only climbers doing this).Ultimately, my friend and I got back safely and I shall endeavor from now on to climb regularly and be in better condition for it.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/w2oxM-living_tokyoFri, 02 Oct 2015 19:44:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/w2oxM-living_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wmxgG-living_tokyoI have been training for a while now, but weight lifting in Japan can have some limitations. That's because a lot of gyms don't have a great variety of equipment compared with some gyms in other countries.I will be recommending some different gyms that I feel are pretty good, and I've categorized these gyms in two different groups.These gyms are great for people who want to exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle, are beginners to fitness or weight lifting, or lose weight. These are the most common and popular types of gyms in Japan.Level: Beginner - IntermediateMembership Fee: ¥10,000-¥14,000TipnessCentral SportsRenaissanceThese gyms usually offer a swimming pool, sauna, cardio machines like treadmills and spin bikes, and a substantial list of fitness programs and classes such as aerobics and yoga. A drawback to these types of gyms is that they close at around 10:30pm-11:00pm.When I first began training, I started at Renaissance. When you're considering joining a gym like this, you'll need to check it out with one of the staff members first. The equipment and class selection can vary from location to location. A plus is that with a lot of these gyms, you can use your membership at other locations.I noticed the dumbbells at Renaissance only went up to 10kg, and there weren't many other machines or equipment for weightlifting. Eventually, I decided to switch to a more advanced level gym.Level: Intermediate - AdvancedMembership Fee: ¥6,000-¥14,000Golds GymJoyfit24Anytime FitnessThese gyms are going to be great for those who want to lift weights heavier than 10kg and want more variety in equipment. A great plus is they are often open 24 hours!Anytime Fitness and Golds Gym have an added benefit of having locations in many other countries. When you travel, you might be able to keep up your routine!Currently, I'm using JoyFit24. It has no pool, no sauna, and no studio programs or classes. What I like is the big variety of machines and weight equipment. They also have a few cardio machines, too.Another thing I like is the price, it's much lower than Golds Gym, with a membership fee of only ¥7,500, you can use the gym 24/7/365! There are no frills, but it's perfect for my needs right now.Some of the more expensive and comprehensive advanced level gyms also offer protein drinks, personal trainers and more to increase the value.FastGym is another gym open 24 hours a day, but the locations are much smaller with less equipment, which means you may spend some time waiting for a machine to free up to use.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wmxgG-living_tokyoFri, 21 Aug 2015 10:54:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/wmxgG-living_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/Gyy3G-living_tokyo_minato-kuHulk at shiodomeTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/Gyy3G-living_tokyo_minato-kuWed, 12 Aug 2015 14:27:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/Gyy3G-living_tokyo_minato-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/z1moz-living_tokyo_minato-kuTiny street under the train rail.Salary mans are hanging out.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/z1moz-living_tokyo_minato-kuTue, 11 Aug 2015 15:15:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/z1moz-living_tokyo_minato-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/kzV4w-living_food_tokyo_chuo-kuI originally planned to eat ramen for lunch, but I end up going to eat "Uni don" - bowl of rice topped with sea urchin at Tsukiji Fish Market.Tsukiji Fish Market usually not crowded on the weekday, but there are a few tourists on the narrow streets.As I search for a good place for the "Uni don", I noticed that many shops were closed. Apparently the fish market is close on every Wednesday and Sunday, along with some of the restaurants.After I spotted a restaurant that advertise to serve an extra portion of rice for free, and the staff agree to give me an extra portion of topping so I give it a try. It turns out to be a scam, no extra topping at all.I couldn't have enough "Uni" this time, but next time I will give another restaurant a try.My recommendation goes there on the weekday, since it is less crowded.On the way back to my office, I ate some grilled seafood.It was delicious.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/kzV4w-living_food_tokyo_chuo-kuWed, 02 Jul 2014 16:46:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/kzV4w-living_food_tokyo_chuo-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/kGL8G-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuMy son brought this from school.He said I'm suppose to drink it.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/kGL8G-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuThu, 26 Jun 2014 00:18:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/kGL8G-living_tokyo_katsushika-kuhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/ewjvw-living_educationHello,Have you heard of the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans?" The Japanese have a similar saying: "郷に入ったら郷に従え" which roughly translates to "Follow the town once inside the town."Although it can take some time, understanding the environment surrounding around oneself can take a lot of psychological stress away and help you to live a more comfortable and harmonious life in Japan.Hahaha. Well, one COULD do this if you only noticed and talked about the positive aspects of this life, but all things are inextricably linked. It is almost guaranteed that and one point or another, you will notice (many) negative things.Many Japanese are known for not telling somebody else (Japanese or otherwise) their honest opinions or feelings, perhaps because they do not want to cause unpleasantness or conflict with the other person, and may passively agree while the other person is speaking to show that they are listening.I've written up a select list of words to use, or words you might hear when listening to a story.You might be wondering why these words are so common, and why should I try to understand them? Perhaps you're thinking that one should say their honest feelings instead. But the part about not wanting to arouse unpleasantness or causing a disagreement is actually a very important aspect of conversation in Japanese.To say something like "Iya, sore ha chigau" is very direct and tells the other party that you not only disagree, but they are wrong.So because many native English speakers are so direct with language, I think they may have some trouble conversing with Japanese people. When talking to other English speakers, YES and NO is a major bass of communication. However, in the Japanese language, there are several ways to respond. Let's look at some different ways that you can say YES or show affirmation to the other person:・うん (un)・うんうん (unun)・そうだね (soudane)・まーそうだよね (maa soudayone)The weight of these words are the same in most situations and are all suitable answers when you want to agree with the other person, or even just show that you are listening.On the other hand, when you want to say NO to something, the answer can be slightly more complicated. In Japanese, we almost never say NO directly.Let's look at some different responses to this sample question where you want to say no:"今週の土曜日にパーティーがあるんだけどどうかな？"(Konshu no douyoubi ni paatii ga arundakedo doukana?)(I'm having a party this Saturday, wanna come?)・行けそうなら連絡するね (ikesou nara renraku suru ne) (I'll contact you if I can come)・うーん、考えておく (uun, kangaete oku) (hmm, I'll think about it)・へー楽しそうだね (hee, tanoshisou dane) (oh, sounds fun)These are some passive ways to respond to something without being really direct and hurting the other persons feelings.そうゆうのは好きじゃないから行かない(souyu no ha sukijyanai kara ikanai)(I don't like it so I'm not going to go)This is a really direct way to decline an invitation, but I think most Japanese people would not respond with something like this unless they were unique in the way that they excelled at self-assertion.I'm not going to tell you how you should respond to others speaking to you. That's for you to decide. This is simply me sharing a few tips on how to have a conversation with someone in Japanese comfortably and trying to give some insight into how people communicate in Japanese.Do you have some useful tips about how to have a conversation with or maintain a friendship with people in Japan?Photo by ashraful kadir&Susan SermonetaTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/ewjvw-living_educationThu, 12 Jun 2014 14:46:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/ewjvw-living_educationhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/VMqOG-living_transportation_chiba_ichihara-shi_tokyoHello! I would like to share a location I visited recently with everyone who has children.It's About a 1 hour drive on the highway from Tokyo, in Ichihara, Chiba prefecture, and I highly recommend visiting it on the weekend with your family.Chiba Kodomo no Kuni Kid's Domhttp://www.kidsdom.jp/index.htmlThere are various facilities, such as jungle gyms, go-carts, bicycles, a fishing pond, BBQ pits, a restaurant and a large grassy area.You can see parents and children running and playing, leisurely taking naps, and relaxing under tents and on picnic sheets.Those coming from urban areas might be worried that visiting a place like that over the weekend might be hard because it will be crowded, but I assure you, there is nothing to worry about!The entire park is so huge, and children can enjoy running about and playing freely.The facility itself and the very wide, that families only absent most ideal view also to Asobaseru the children very well. Many of the attractions in the park cost around 300yen each to play or ride, but there are many attractions that cost nothing as well!Entrance fee informationhttp://www.kidsdom.jp/rate/index.htmlAre there any similar places you enjoy visiting with your family or friends?To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/VMqOG-living_transportation_chiba_ichihara-shi_tokyoMon, 26 May 2014 12:31:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/VMqOG-living_transportation_chiba_ichihara-shi_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/AMv9w-living_medical_tokyoIf you cannot speak Japanese fluently, where will you go when you got sick in Japan?I guess it is quite difficult, because most of the doctors in Japan cannot speak English fluently.Even if the hospital claim to provide English support, their English skill are limited, not many of them can communicate with you smoothly. Most of the staff cannot speak English especially the receptionist. It would be better to call them and ask whether they can speak English or not.Japan's National Health Insurance program allow people to visit hospital at a low cost, so they are always crowded.You may have to wait in line for 2 hours before you can see a doctor for 10 minutes.If you don't want to wait, you better go there early in the morning before anyone else.Also, doctors are people too. Better go there in the morning when they are fully energized, rather then after lunch when they are sleepy and tired.Sometimes you may feel you were treated poorly in the hospital, but consider the fact that doctors in Japan are extremely overworked and underpaid. They need to handle at less a 100 patients a day, speaking another language didn't help either.There is a Japanese saying "Omoiyari" which mean consideration without verbal communication. Keep that in mind and it will serve you well in your life.If you're living in the city, you can find a health care facility with English support, however, there is only a few in the countryside.Please let us know, if you know any health care facility with English support, it will be helpful for other people, thank you.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/AMv9w-living_medical_tokyoThu, 15 May 2014 19:07:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/AMv9w-living_medical_tokyohttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/vw2nw-living_transportation_education1. Bowing in JapanJapanese often greets one another with a bow.You can see different kind of bows, a bow that lower one's head below the waist, or a small bow that only moves one's neck just like nodding your head.When you go to a shop in Japan, you will see it by all means. Bowing is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, even difficult problem can be resolved with a bow.Also, by saying "Sumimasen" along with a small bow will open your way to get out of a train during rush hour. When people hear the word "Sumimasen" in the train, they will step aside and make a path for you to exit, some people even give you a small bow after they had stepped aside.Try not to say "Excuse me" when you are in Japan.Most Japanese know the meaning of this word, but in a real world situation they will be frightened. They usually think "Are you talking to me?", "What did I do?" or "What should I do now?".2. Paying for things or servicesHow does the store's staff give you a bag of products to you in your home country?Recently I noticed that when I go to a convenience store in Japan, after paying the products the staff gives me the bag while looking at me and touch my hand.If this also happened to you, let's not get angry. It doesn't mean the staff had a crash on you, it's just part of the service. I don't really know why they need to do that.Also, I think it is written in many travel guides that "tipping is not required" in Japan.Even if you go to an upscale restaurant, you don't need to pay tips. If you take a look at the receipt, you may notice that the service charge is included.This culture background lead to many Japanese forget to pay tips while traveling aboard.3. Finish your meal without leftoverI think of this situation, when eating with a Japanese friend.Since the old days, ordinary Japanese households have been trained to finish their meal without leftover. Also, there is a Japanese saying that "Finishing a child's leftover is parents' responsibility".In other countries, it is okay to have leftover if you are full. In Japan, if you have leftover, it is considered a waste of food and unacceptable. People will question your personality and think there is a problem with your family.Have you ever heard the phrase "Mottainai", this phrase was created after postwar Japan because there was a problem with a shortage of food. Current generation's inherited the concept not to waste food from their grandparents. In addition, the Japanese are trained to finish their meal even if they dislike it.There is also an impression that eating food that you like is natural and avoiding food you dislike is self-indulgence.The concept of finishing your meal without any leftover is not in every culture, it maybe hard for other people to understand.If you ask me "Why should I eat it, if I hate it?"I will say you missed the point, it is about "not to waste" any food. That is Japanese and Japanese culture.When you eat Japanese food for the first time with your Japanese friend, it is better to tell them how much you would like to eat, otherwise they may concern about the waste of food and only order a small portion for you.4. Language barrierJapanese who can speak English either had experience living in English speaking country or wanting to learn English.For example, you are walking on the street and get lost, you try to get direction from a stranger near by using a phrase you have learned - "XX wa doko desu ka?", that stranger explain the direction to you in Japanese quickly, At the end you don't really understand what this stranger say and just want to end the conversation by saying "Arigato" without getting the direction you needed.Most Japanese who don't speak English fluently usually worry about making mistakes when they speak English, so even if they want to help it will be difficult.Of course there are some very kind people who will take care of strangers until they arrived to their destination, but you don't see them very often.Yet, they are willing to help you, you don't have to feel unpleasant.Overcome the language barrier is more difficult than you think.Most important things in the conversation are the conjugation. If you make a mistake, it is hard to understand what are you trying to say.Example:I'll go to the school with A.1. Watashi gakkou ni ikimasu. A to issyo ni.2. Watashi ha gakkou ni A to issyo ni ikimashita.3. Watashi ha A to issyo ni gakkou he ikimasu.Which do you think is the correct?Certainly, Japanese face the same problem when they speak English too, learning Japanese is very hard as well.5. Are you frustrated by consecutive questions?When you come travel to Japan, and even if you've been living in Japan, people often ask you the same question:"where are you from?""where do you live?""how old are you?""how are you?"You might be tired of those questions, but I'm sorry because I asked those questions too.This is a problem of language skill. In general, the Japanese start to learn English in junior high school, from text books or tv shows. Those questions are proposed as the basic conversation.We don't learn anything more difficult than that except people who have enthusiastic for studying English. Since those are the only sentence most Japanese know, even if we want to talk to you we could only ask those sentences. Since English is not widespread in Japan.As you can see, there are many spelling or grammar mistake for signs on the street and also on TV shows, so now you will understand why.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/vw2nw-living_transportation_educationThu, 15 May 2014 17:06:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/vw2nw-living_transportation_educationhttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/4MJDG-living_food_fashion_medical_saitama_chiba_tokyo_kanagawaI live in Japan, and I’d like to introduce 9 shops I think you should visit if you are in Japan.Restaurants1 Big BoyAlthough Big Boy originated in the United States, it’s Japanese locations are surprisingly good. I have been going to Big Boy a lot lately, and it’s quickly become one of my favorites. In my opinion, the best meal they offer is the 450g Hamburg set, which costs ¥1500. If you order this dish, ask for your hamburg to be rare, and add salt and pepper when it arrives to your table. When I eat this, I cannot help myself in thinking, “This IS beef.” And yes, it is 100% beef, unlike most Japanese style hamburg.Unfortunately, all of the Big Boy restaurants I know of are best accessible by car, and maybe not all Big Boy restaurants are good.. But I still think you should visit if you have a chance!2 Steak GustoIf you didn’t already know, Gusto is a very famous family restaurant chain in Japan, and Steak Gusto specializes in of course, Steak!At Steak Gusto, an all-you-can-eat side and salad bar comes with your order of a main dish, so I think it’s great when you want to eat a ton on a low cost. The side and salad bar includes freshly baked bread, white rice, Japanese curry, your typical fresh salad fare and a drink bar. I have to admit, I normally eat about 5-7 bread rolls while there..3 HottoMottoWhen you’re looking for a quick meal at any time of the day, and don’t really have anything particular in mind, HottoMotto is the best bento for you. Typically, almost any bento on HottoMotto’s menu is ¥500 or less. My favorite is the karaage, which I like to eat with plenty of lemon juice.FashionMany popular clothing stores from overseas, such as H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and Gap have locations all over Japan, and they are very popular. But have you ever been to Shimamura, Jeans Mate or Nishimatsuya? You might like to shops you are familiar with, but you might like what you find at the ones you aren’t as familiar with, too.1 ShimamuraShimamura is a popular clothing store chain located across Japan, mainly in smaller cities and suburbs of larger cities. Their prices are among the lowest, and the style and quality is similar to that of UNIQLO. I think this store is best for women, but they have clothes for the whole family!2 Jeans MateI used to love to go to Jeans Mate a lot during Junior High School. People in Japan love to buy their Dickies’s brand Chino Pants at Jeans Mate, and many other famous Jeans brands. They also have a wide range of sizes available, particularly for men.3 NishimatsuyaParents with small children in Japan are often familiar with the shop Akachan Honpo, but many people complain about the high prices. If you are one of those people, you should try Nishimatsuya! Overall, items are priced much cheaper at Nishimatsuya, and they have a wide variety of baby, kids and mom good and clothes. I highly recommend it for all families!Daily Necessities1 Don QuixoteMost Don Quixote stores are open 24 hours a day, and offer a maze-like plethora of daily necessities, toiletries, cosmetics, electrical appliances, clothing, groceries and much much more. If you can’t find what you’re looking for at any other store, get to Don Quixote because you’re likely to find just what you need there!2 DaisoI think most people who have lived in Japan for some time should know about Daiso, but if you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a ¥100 shop. Almost anything can be found at Daiso, and they have tons of things which have been designed to make your life easier. They even have gardening supplies and tableware, and while some of these items are more expensive than ¥100, they are still far cheaper than larger stores.3 Matsumoto KiyoshiMatsumoto Kiyoshi is probably the most famous drug store in Japan. This drug store has a rich assortment of high quality toiletries and cosmetics. Sometimes it’s nice to just go into this drug store to look at (and perhaps try!) all of the great products they offer.To view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/4MJDG-living_food_fashion_medical_saitama_chiba_tokyo_kanagawaMon, 28 Apr 2014 10:31:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/4MJDG-living_food_fashion_medical_saitama_chiba_tokyo_kanagawahttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/oGbWw-living_money_tochigi_tokyo_kanagawa_fukuiToday I would like to focus on the cost of living in relation to each region of Japan.When you start living in Japan and plan to stay for a significant amount of time, the cost of living will definitely affect your way of life. There was a time when I was considering moving abroad, when I felt like I wanted to live abroad. But I didn't know how much it would cost, if I would find any work, or if I could find an affordable place to live near my potential workplace or school.I think, because I've seen the statistics of various data while building this post, I should share my findings with you.Top 5 Prefectures With a High Income1. Kanagawa PrefectureMonthly Income: ¥539,542Monthly Expenses: ¥439,542Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 85%2. Toyama PrefectureMonthly Income: ¥532,778Monthly Expenses: ¥453,957Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 85%3. Fukui PrefectureMonthly Income: ¥525,269Monthly Expenses: ¥423,336Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 81%4. Tochigi PrefectureMonthly Income: ¥524,816Monthly Expenses: ¥434,374Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 83%5. TokyoMonthly Income: ¥516,794Monthly Expenses: ¥420,304Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 81%I was really surprised with this result! I thought Tokyo would be the highest, but in fact Kanagawa Prefecture seems to be the highest, with Tokyo ranked in the 5th place!The households from which the data was taken are paying either rent or mortgage and are targeted toward those who are in their 40s. Results can vary though, because this is an average value. A more specific number could be found by performing research to refine a specific layer. With that being said, I think this is helpful information as the mean value in each region.Also, I tried to calculate the “percentage of spending as a percentage of revenue,” but all regions results were between 80%-85%. You can see that even with a high income, monthly spending on expenses stays in the same range. So it seems it’s true that for most people: The more you make, the more you spend.Now let’s take a look at the lowest ranking prefectures.Top 5 Prefectures With a Low Income1. Okinawa PrefectureMonthly Income: ¥324,891Monthly Expenses: ¥279,661Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 86%2. Kumamoto PrefectureMonthly income:¥ 403,905Monthly Expenses: ¥353,321Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 87%3. Kagoshima PrefectureMonthly income: ¥407,492Monthly Expenses: ¥349,403Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 86%4. Iwate PrefectureMonthly income: ¥408,926Monthly Expenses: ¥354,082Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 87%5. Ehime PrefectureMonthly income: ¥412,523Monthly Expenses: ¥346,459Proportion of spending as a percentage of income: 84%Of course these are generalized figures including many factors, so naturally things will be different from region to region and person to person, but you can see with a lower revenue, the proportion of expenditures rises to roughly 85%.Proportion of spending as a percentage of its revenues is higher in the areas with low income, but it can be said that the amount you will spend on living costs may not change significantly.Also, I wonder if residents with higher incomes turn their extra money into savings, or if they are spending even more after their monthly expenses.What do you think? If you have more information about your particular area and the cost of living, or have some tips to share about saving money on monthly expenses© studiopure - Fotolia.comTo view the full contents of this page visit www.city-cost.comPostshttps://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/oGbWw-living_money_tochigi_tokyo_kanagawa_fukuiWed, 02 Apr 2014 10:56:00 +0900https://www.city-cost.comhttps://www.city-cost.com/blogs/Yuju/oGbWw-living_money_tochigi_tokyo_kanagawa_fukui