Guest house and Apartment Tokyo

English Friendly Japan’s Oakhouse video

Englishfriendlyjapan.com reached out to us and made a really cool video for us! I hope you enjoy the great variety of our houses.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/DNWwu6AP_5A

Visit them to browse other English-friendly businesses!

Cookin’!

The other day, we had an impromptu party at our Omotesando Garden ladies-only house.

It was a lot of fun, with lots of different finger foods laid out. There was some great cheese, bread, and wine…

…and then the cool things came!

Japan Times: Former detective talks about curbing gangs

Here’s a great interview with an ex-cop in Tokyo who enacted several procedural changes in how to deal with growing gang activity.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20111106x1.html

I think a lot of us foreigners in Japan have it easy when it comes to our safety in Japan. Some of us live out in what Americans like to affectionately call the “boonies”, living in a calm, quiet countryside environment. Many more live in the metropolises. We’re accustomed now to carrying around large amounts of cash as we walk around, usually at night (though often in large numbers). We tend to be lax about how we lock up our bicycles (despite the fact that bicycle theft is still an issue here). My fiance often comes home from work very late and walks around by herself just fine.

And that’s great. But it’s not to say that Japan has always been this safe, as this article points out. Many manga in the 70s and 80s were very much about youth delinquents and gangs, and they were heavily romanticized. By extrapolation, you could even go so far as to say that this just encouraged young people more.

Often, I wish that Japanese police, especially Tokyo police, were a bit more active in chasing down real crime (most foreigners have a “stopped on my bike and asked for my gaijin card” story, though I do not as of yet), but it’s interesting to realize that the bulk of their action goes on where we can’t see it.

It’s also interesting how he says that they spend so much more time documenting and investigating instead of arresting suspects at the first opportunity, and I’m wondering how long this takes compared to police units in other countries. If it raises the probability of not only catching the right guy but also convicting him, then I don’t mind occasionally muttering at the TV that the cops seem to be so sloooow regarding any given reported crime of the week.

I like stories like this because these are people issues, and not simply Japanese issues, and I think Japan deserves a little bit of humanization on the Internet.

Music videos

As you may be aware, sometimes I appear in music videos or on stage.

Recently, I filmed two more music videos with Tommy Heavenly6 (bringing my total up to nine!) and here are the sample clips:

First is the main A-side single, Monochrome Rainbow:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/nyYuiO-Rx7g

I play both guitar and drums in this; I’m the brown-haired guy in the top hat.

Next is the B-side, I’m Your Devil:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/MEtIKfgLuCY

I’m in the blond wig!

I hope the full versions come out soon.

続きを読む

New Alien Registration system for 2012

If you’re a foreigner in Japan (as is probably likely since you are reading particular this website, and this particular post in English, you know about the headaches associated with registering as a foreign resident.

All foreign nationals staying in Japan on a visa longer than 3 months must register as an alien resident. You go to your city hall/ward office, register, and get issued a card, which has your picture, address, work information, etc on it. It’s hard to explain exactly why it’s a pain; it just is, I guess. Still, starting in July of next year 2012, they’re making things easier.

http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/newimmiact_1/en/index.html

Best of all, the period of stay will be extended to a max of 5 years initially. This is surely intended just to reduce the workload of the immigration staff, but of course this is great for residents too who find it a pain to have to renew yearly, like I would have to do if I wasn’t getting married.

The best is the part about re-entry permission, though, I think. Currently, you have to go buy a special re-entry permit stamp. You can either buy a one-time re-entry for 3,000 yen, or multiple (i.e. infinite for as long as your visa is valid) for 6,000.

“Foreign nationals in possession of a valid passport and residence card
who will be re-entering Japan within 1 year of their departure* will, in
principle, not be required to apply for a re-entry permit.”

How great is that? So much easier now.

Also, check point 4 for how the current alien registration system will be totally abolished! Nice. Can’t wait! If you really want to come to Japan long-term, starting next year will probably be the most hassle-free.

Houses!

So I’ve been looking for a new apartment, and it’s made me realize just how easy it was to live in a guesthouse!

Renting in Tokyo is SO expensive. That’s not the main problem… the problem is that initial costs are so high!

Usually when you rent an apartment, there’s just a deposit to pay, but in Japan, there are like two or three types of deposits you have to make, and they’re often several months of rent. So you can end up paying up to 6 months of rent before you get the key.

Some of this deposit — the “Shikikin” deposit– you’ll get back when you move out, but key money– “reikin” — is just a “gift” you’ll never see again! Truly tragic.

Luckily we were able to get away with only paying one month of each.

Oh I almost forgot! You’ll also usually need a guarantor, i.e. somebody rich enough to co-sign for you. It usually has to be a relative, so foreigners are almost totally out of luck unless their company sponsors them. Luckily, there are guarantor companies to which you can pay a small fee and they’ll cover for you.

That’s what was so great about Oakhouse– you could move in quick, simple, and cheap. Seriously, just look around at the home page! Poke around!

I’ll be sure to post pics when we finally move in.

Guam pictures!

In the wake of the events of March 11th, I had done all the worrying and help I thought prudent and came to the conclusion that maybe now was the time for the vacation I had kept putting off.

Money being a bit of an issue, I ruled out Hawaii–I have other plans for Hawaii later on in life–and Taiwan and Korea, as I’d been there before. America was also out, as I’d just been back.

So we decided on Guam, as my friend had found a really good deal.

Guam is a popular tourist destination for many Japanese, as it’s really close, only an hour time difference, and definitely caters to a Japanese tourist market. You can pay for almost everything in yen, everyone seems to speak Japanese, and information on everything is available in Japanese.

That said, though, sometimes Guam is seen as a “discount” destination, and Hawaii et al are held up as the pinnacle of island vacations.

Now, I’ve never been to Hawaii, but my friend said that the ocean was way more gorgeous. Yeah, no surfing or anything, but it was perfect! Super still, shallow waters out almost to the horizon. Warm without being hot. Plus, once you go out the hotel, the pools are RIGHT THERE, and then you get out of the pool(s!) and the beach is RIGHT THERE.

The food was great. We ate Mexican food, which is my #1 weakness, and then just anything we could stuff our faces with.

Here are some pictures; I’ll try to provide some commentary. We were only there for 3 nights which was really just the right amount of time, given the amount of stuff to do.

Guam Preview

If you’re looking to take a trip outside of Japan any time, Guam is only a few hours away and is much more fun than you might think. Some people within Japan seem to think of Guam as a second-rate Hawaii, but my expectations were totally shattered and it was a really great trip.

I have tons of photos and I will be uploading them… once I figure out how to get them off of my phone! Stay tuned.

New houses

How was everybody’s golden week?

We’ve got a lot of new houses, so please take a look. These are pretty cool all around.

This is Higashi-mukou-jima.
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=379
Real close to the Sumida river and Asakusa. Female only.

Here’s Ogikubo 3:
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=373
With a cool green theme, feels like home!

Park View Aobadai:
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=368
Stylish house in Kanagawa. Cool location, for sure! Trust me, Kanagawa is great.

Kita-Omiya:
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=366
Settled RIGHT on top of the station! How convenient! I hated the morning rush even when I lived 5 minutes away from a station, haha! Plus its situated just far enough away from Central Tokyo for some peace and quiet but isn’t too far removed from anything fun. Saitama’s not a bad choice either in today’s real estate climate!

So many people come to Tokyo and only want to live in Tokyo, which is certainly understandable. But it is totally possible to live just outside and commute into town for work or play. At least check them out!

Chat update!

We’ve moved the chat button from the front page to the individual house pages. If you have questions about the house or move-in or anything like that, please feel free to chat for little questions like that! For any other bigger issues, especially ones where you might have to give some personal information, e-mail or telephone or even in person is still probably the best method for that. Hope to hear from you!