How To Move House In Japan

If you can't see the video above, click here.

It can be very hard to find an apartment in Japan. There are many agents about but assuming you can negotiate the Japanese language you still have to find somewhere suitable. Then you probably need a guarantor, someone who will vouch for you as a responsible person and pay for you should any money problems arise. You'll also need lots of money for the deposits, key (gift) money and the movers fee. You could be looking at well over 5 months rent in total!

All that we may cover later on, but this blog is all about the actual move. What do you need to do? Read on.

• Say goodbye! - You probably made lots of friends where you live and your work will hold parties for you even if you didn't get on that well. So enjoy some goodbye parties with friends and coworkers. At work, be prepared to make a little speech about how much you liked it there, even if you didn't. It'll be appreciated. If you are a teacher like me, you have the extra chore of saying goodbye to students. Most won't mind too much (what good is English anyway?) but some will be genuinely sad and may come to you crying. Then, of course, there are a few presents you can expect from each party. Work customarily gives money. Students may give sweets. Friends might give... anything! They are your friends, not mine. How should I know what they will get you?

• Visit city hall!  - Within two weeks of moving, you will need to go to city hall or your local ward office to fill in a form telling them that you are moving. They usually have an English guide but its basically just your name and address and the address you are moving to. You show that at the desk and they make up an official document for you which you must deliver in person to the city hall or ward office closest to your new address. So, yes, you even have to do this if you are staying in the same city but changing ward. While you are waiting for the document, they will tell you to inform the health insurance department too. So go do that... if you want health insurance, of course.

• Packing! - Well, first you have to find a moving company, unless you are lucky enough to have your own large car, a friend with a truck or no belongings. Movers are tricky devils. There are certain periods like holidays where everyone moves. If you want to move then, they will charge you an extortionate amount. Be flexible, suggest many dates, ask which is cheaper. Most of all, do not accept their first offer. We had one company try to charge us 650,000 yen for a move (about 6,300 USD). Another company, who we chose, offered a price of 192,000 but we ummed and ahhed them down to 90,000 yen. Anyway, they will give you boxes for your stuff but they will come and take your furniture as it is. They do all of the work, so don't worry about heavy lifting.  Get to work packing those boxes. Each one should be completely sealed and clearly labelled with both addresses.

• Clean up! - It's a strong tradition in Japan not to return deposits anyway, they tend to use them for cleaning and replacing tatami, but if you want to stand any chance of getting it you need to clean like crazy. Everything of yours should be packed or thrown away. You will have a lot of garbage, and the normal collections probably won't take it, so you should check your city hall's website for the phone number of the environmental services, and you need to ask them to take away your big pile of trash. You may be charged for this. You can also get furniture and appliances taken away for a cost. If you need to replace any papou can also get furniture and appliances taken away for a cost. Then you just need to sweep the floors, mop and wipe surfaces. The whole place should be sparkling! Time to return your keys to the owner or letting agency and say goodbye.

It's clean....

• Move yourself! - You should be left with just yourself and the few valuables you will carry with you to your new destination. Time to go! Jump in that car, grab that train, stop that cat-bus or whatever it is you'll be doing to get to your new home.

• Unpacking! - The movers will bring everything into the apartment. They'll even place things where you ask them. So all you have to do is to unpack the boxes. Sounds easy, but its the longest job really.

• Shopping! - The Japanese have a strange tradition of taking ceiling lights with them when they move. So you may have to go and buy some from the local home centre as soon as you can. You may have to buy other things too. Anything large you can get from the home centre. Anything small you can get from a 100 yen store. See our other blog entry here for more information. Don't forget, you'll also need to buy some food to stock your cupboards. That calls for a trip to the local supermarket.

• Check your services! - You'll have a leaflet, and perhaps a friendly landlord, which will tell you about things like how to sort your garbage and when to leave it out for collection. They might also enquire about contributions to a community newsletter or cleaning bills in more expensive places. This is also a good time to take your change of address document to the ward office. 

• Enjoy! -  I'm sure you have plenty of things to do, but don't forget to take time out to enjoy your new place. Look around, enjoy the view, explore the local area. You did it! You moved house in Japan, and hopefully you'll never have to do it again. Am I right?

Have you moved house recently or are planning to move? Have any questions or tips? Leave a comment below.

The Hundred Yen Store

If you can't see the video above, please go here: http://youtu.be/2yGp9hsp-ac

What can I say about this blog entry that hasn't already been said? Well, pretty much everything, because I haven't said anything yet. All I need to say is very short though. If you come to Japan and there is something you need to buy, go to the hundred yen store. I'm not even going to ask you what it is you want. Just go.

The hundred yen store, as you can see in the video, has pretty much everything. Okay, they have been short of nuclear powered time-travelling robot maids suspiciously often, but you will not believe the range of goods this shop sells. Everything from snacks and ready meals, to party hats and money tins, from garden hoes  and pet collars, to stationary and kitchen cleaners, it's there.

Now you might think that not every hundred yen store is as big as the one we explore in the video, and you would be right, but don't worry because even the smallest store has an amazing variety of goodies. In terms of storage, it's as close as we'll get to Doraemon's 4th dimensional pocket for at least a century. 

You might also be thinking that all the bargain store goods are cheap rubbish. Fear not. Although there is undoubtedly better quality goods from a brand store or specialist, the quality of these items is well beyond what a layman might need. It is also well beyond the (frankly speaking) shitty bargain stores in the west.

As such, the hundred yen store is the perfect place to go when you first move to Japan. It will have everything you need to furnish your home at a reasonable price and will save you a lot of time, energy and money. Of course, if you stay in Japan and explore your city, you will find better specialised stores with their own bargains and advantages, but until you have that time, 100 yen store it is! I visited there almost every day when I first came here and I still go there often when there is a little household knick knack I need or a cheap prize for students.

Have you ever been to a 100 yen store? What's the strangest thing you saw there?

What can you buy in Japanese convenience stores?

If you can't see the video, go here: http://youtu.be/6Wa94Rpslpo

A convenience store is probably the second or third building you will go into when you arrive in Japan. The first being the airport, the second possibly a hostel or hotel, just incase you wanted to test me. They are everywhere, so you won't have any trouble finding them, and they are reasonably priced - though a little more expensive than the shops that will end up being your locals if you stay here. The other benefit is they sell pretty much everything, and there are a few other things you can do there that you might be surprised to hear.

Before I reel off a list that will drop your jaw faster than a naked supermodel, I just want to say that we are not endorsed nor do we support any particular brand, we are just providing information of services available. However, if any convenience company wants to give us money please get in touch we'll be glad to alleviate you of cash for advertising. Also, if any of these "surprising things" are no longer surprising because you have them in America now, or whatever, then I apologise but they don't as far as I know, and didn't when I was there. 

The video above shows just about everything that is in the store, but let me list the essentials. In a Japanese convenience store you can: 

• Buy Food: Kinda obvious, but it's true. You can buy snack foods from potato chips to dried squid, ice cream to frozen chips, rice balls to fresh fruit. There's prepared meals which just need a minute in the microwave to get you going (they will even ask you if you want it heated in store). There's sweets like chocolates and super sour fruit gums, but be careful because the packets are very small. They also have fried food like hot dogs and meat buns (nikuman) kept warm in a glass case that is possibly fuelled by the burning souls of disrespectful customers, but Japan is pretty short of those so I guess not. 

• Read comics and magazines for free: A convenience store is like a library. People go in there and flick through the magazines, read all the comics and then leave. They sell all sorts too. From kids manga and puzzles to study books, style mags to young adult manga complete with bikini model shots and no holds barred porn. It's all right on the shelf on the same level with a wide range of fetishes, real women and cartoon... not that I know anything about that, but if you can't find what you want, check on the shelf under the main displays. They have even more there. Ahem. 

• Buy seasonal gear: Depending on the current time of year, convenience stores will have a small section devoted to surviving. In winter they sell cheap hats, gloves, scarves and pocket heaters. In  summer they sell hand fans, folding fans, cooling gel and other things to get through the heat. It can be good, and I've used it when I've lost gloves on the way home. Just don't go in their expecting fashion. Your choices are normally black or black. You can always get a cheap umbrella or cover-all to protect from a sudden rainstorm too! 

• Buy DVDs: They have some older, cheap movies by the entrance, but some new, fancy ones (and Adult Video) behind the counter. Just ask the clerk! I know you won't! 

• Go to the toilet: Yes! conbini's (conveniences stores) have public toilets that you are allowed to use without having to worry about the formality of having to buy anything in store! Genius! If you are lucky, they may even have a heated seat.

• Bank: There will always be an ATM. They do all the things that western ATMs do and also deposits! I don't remember all western ATMs doing that. Just be careful, they will charge you for withdrawing money, about 100 yen or double that if it's a holiday. However, if you have an account with Shinsei bank, the online bank, it's completely free all the time. So guess who I have an account with. This is all extra awesome because bank's ATMs are rubbish in Japan and access is usually restricted after 7pm (defeating the whole point of having an ATM, stupid Japan) but conbinis are sometimes open 24 hours, at least until 11pm anyway.

• Pay Bills: Through the post, for gas, water, electric, tax, health insurance, your internet and probably your mobile phone (depending on carrier) you will get a paper slip that you can take to the conbini. They will stamp it, ask you to press a button and take your money. Bill is paid! Go home and rest! Some places will not take payments for tax or insurance though. Kill them. Burn their souls and eat their children.

• Make online payments: This is my absolute favorite! I've been trying to get a credit card in Japan since I got here 4 years ago and I have never succeeded. For why I do not know. I also refuse to use my UK card because the bank transfer fees to pay the bill are almost as much as the credit card bill. So, I was delighted to discover that in Japan you can buy something online and then choose to pay for it at a conbini. The company will email you a code, you take it to the conbini and show it to the clerk or input it into the computer like machine by the ATM and it will print a receipt. Show that to the clerk and then pay your money. Then you just wait for your delivery, or if it's tickets, the clerk will give you them on the spot. 

• Buy tickets: On the same computer like machines, you can search for bus tickets, plane tickets, concert tickets, lots more and you can buy them there and then. It's really fantastic. I've used it 5 times for concert tickets (4 times for the same band) and no fails. 

• Photocopy/fax: There is copy machine that's coin operated and it usually has fax capability and an English language option. It's great if you forget an important document after leaving work. 

So Japanese convenience stores are truly convenient. The only problems I have ever had with them are when they are on the other side of the road... or when Nat almost choked on some plastic in an onigiri. And oh my, how cute. My cat is playfully clawing at my fingers as I type so I want to keep typing rubbish just so she'll carry on playing with me. She is so furry! 

Oh well, this will be boring for you guys. So I'll stop and play with my kitten properly. No that is not a euphemism  Get your mind out of the gutter. There isn't room for the both of us.

So why don't you tell me the best thing you ever found at a convenience store. What was it?

How to Stay Warm in Japan's Winter: Kotatsu!

If you can't see the video, please go here: http://youtu.be/DW1mtWCF3zQ

We got our first noticable snowfall of the winter today. It has been a lot lighter this year. That's not to say it hasn't been cold this year because ooooooh boy! Even my brass monkeys think that it's brass monkeys here! That's why we decided to finally buy a kotatsu.

Now, "what is a kotatsu?" you may well ask. If you're familiar with Japan at all you probably know already. Even if you aren't you have probably seen them in anime or dramas. In short, a kotatsu is a heated Japanese table, but it is so much more than that; it's dreams, it's heaven, it's a sound night's sleep and a way to avoid frostbite.

I'll warn you now, whether you have already arrived in Japan or you are planning on coming here and living in the future, Japanese houses are rubbish for insulation. Absolutely rubbish. If houses were light party snacks, Japanese houses would be swiss cheese.... in the arctic. For serious. Let's say you are in a Japanese house and it's cold, so you decide to put the air conditioner on. Then after a while it gets toasty, so you turn it off again. If you do that your house will be arctic cold again in under half an hour. I am not exaggerating. So the Japanese have many useful devices for keeping warm. The kotatsu is one of them.

You can get many different types, just like you can any table. You could buy a coffee table kotatsu, or a study desk kotatsu, or a dining table kotatsu, the key element that makes it different is...well, the element! The heating element. Under the table top there will be some form of heating device. Cheaper kotatsus will have large clunky heaters that glow red and you will always bang your knee on the guard casing, where as the most expensive ones will have a super-thin, flat heating pad that spans the table underside from end to end. The middle of the range will be a nice compact heater that should keep you warm without too much trouble. We got the latter.

Now, "won't all this lovely heat escape?" you may also ask. After my fearful introduction I can see why you might be concerned, but worry not because kotatsu come with (or require on separate purchase) a futon (thick blanket) that forms a curtain around the table edge and keeps the heat inside. All you need do is insert your cold little legs into the warm space and experience what chocolate feels like on the tongue of a hot girl in an expensive sweet commercial. You can also buy special padded seats for sitting at the shorter kotatsu, or any seat of your choice will do. If you are worried that while your legs are warm the rest of you is cold, don't, because that warmth spreads up your body and makes you feel like you are in a dry, hot bath.

There is one more difference in your choice of price range. Cheaper kotasu will have an on/off switch, but others have a control panel attached to the electric cable. This will allow you to moderate the degree of heat required and more expensive models are fit with a timer. That allows you to safely fall asleep and not dehydrate or have your legs spontaneously combust, because there in lies the problem with the kotatsu. It's so lovely and comfortable that people fall asleep and doze, so work doesn't get done and people don't want to move at all.

I've also encountered the problem that sitting at the kotatsu for a long period of time gives me a bad back, but maybe I just need better seating.

You can get kotatsu from many home stores and even online at Amazon if you wish (we are in no way endorsed by Amazon). Many deliver for free and require little assembly. Though please watch our video to find out how I manage to muck up putting ours together even though it has only 6 screws and 6 separate parts.

In our next blog we'll be taking a more general look at the differences you'll first notice in Japanese homes, so stick around. In the meantime, if you have any comments or there is any topic you want us to cover, please leave a comment below. Don't forget to subscribe for future episodes!

New Year Shopping Sales and Lucky Bags

If you cannot see the video, please go here: http://youtu.be/gh5ZuY3J484

Here we are, the new year! 13 may be unlucky for some, but only if you are religious, so why waste your time when you can pick up one of Japan's special Lucky bags! 

Yes, Japan is no stranger to shopping sales, and on 2nd January, they have a special deal, nation-wide, that should appeal to anyone with a nose for a bargain or a wallet full of cash. That is, if anyone has any money after all the spending done for Christmas.

Basically, what happens is this: for one day only just about every shop will have a selection of mystery bags for a fixed price. Many shops will have different ranges to suit the spender. You don't get to see what is inside the bag, but the general rule is that the value of the goods inside exceeds the price you pay. So, it's a good idea to head to your favorite shop early and grab a bag... or two! You'll probably get some things you don't want or like, but you're almost bound to get something interesting. It's a great way for shops to get rid of stock and it entices customers new and old. Who can resist the lure of the mystery box. There could be anything in there. It could be a boat. You know how we've always wanted one of those! 

Every store from the local cafe and fast food joint, to the electronics store offer one of these bags. The cafe may have special cups, boxes and snacks, but if you go to say, the Apple store, you could get an iPad and some accessories for about half price! 

Last year, we went late and we wandered around a few shops, but we picked a bag from our favorite variety shop, Village Vanguard, which sells a range of anime, movie, and alternative gadgets and cool house knick knacks. We got quite a good deal. We had a 50s noir cushion, a lamp that can clamp onto and surface and a host of other things for 3000円(24 GBP, 30 USD). This year we had a quick look around and picked up a bag from Natalie's favourite household store and Village Vanguard again. However, we also discovered a H&M had opened in Sendai and so we had a look around. It didn't have a lucky bag, but it did have incredible discounts. We bought a few things there too. It was as busy as previous years and I really don't like crowds! The bargains are worth it though.

When we got home we checked the bags and got a good hoard of gear. Some fun toys and useful items you can see in our video. As far as we know, this is unique to Japan. It's great idea though and I hope other countries adopt it. Some of the discounts are unbelievable. Just watch the video to see how impressed our cat is, even!

And then we'll see you next time. That's it for special holidays. We're going to move on to more everyday topics for our next blog entry and video. If you have any suggestions for topics or something you would like us to talk about please leave a comment below and if we can, we'll do it! But not live on camera because that's gross. And our parents would be upset.

New Year's Day in Japan

If you can't see the video, go here: http://youtu.be/v8XPQo4xESA

How are you doing there? I'm glad to see you survived Christmas. If it isn't the trials of present shopping or the overstuffed belly of turkey, turkey and more turkey, there's always some dangers around the holidays, but those who survive get to celebrate the coming of New Year's day. It's a hallowed time when cheers are cheered, beer is beered and boopily mcscooby doo. Yeah, that kinda got away from me there.

2013 then, the year that "no one" thought would happen!

New Year can be split into two parts. The night before and the morning hangover, I mean, morning after. It's a lot like that here but with a little more emphasis on the new year itself rather than the countdown.

The night before, people will go out drinking, if they are old enough. Everyone else likely stays at home and watches the TV. Every year they have a grand music show with all the country's top music acts and some foreign ones too (sometimes) and they play all their best songs. Kōhaku Uta Gassen it's called. Then at midnight, live from famous local and national temples and shrines, there is the ringing of the bells. The bells chime 108 times for the New Year to cancel out the 108 evils of the human soul, and then one more time to usher in the New Year on it's first second. Many people stay up to watch this and it's the equivalent of the ball dropping or the countdown in London. Though it is more traditional, as can be expected of such a country. The practice seems to be on the way out though. Many local residents near the temples have complained that they are trying to sleep at this time and so many places aren't allowed to ring the bells anymore! No respect!

While back out at the bars, people stagger into the streets and cheer in the New Year like any other country. Here in Sendai, they have the christmas illuminations we showed you in the previous video. As the clock counts down, they flash. Then turn off for a full second and then back on again precisely at midnight. This is accompanied by hundreds of car horns and people cheering "Akemashite Omedetou gozaimasu!" which basically means "Happy New Year!" So it's not that different.

The main difference is in the morning. On New Year's day everyone traditionally goes home, and they get together with family. The older members of the family give money to their grandchildren in a special envelope, but it's also traditional for the parents to take it and say "I'll look after that for you". And the parents look after it so well that the children never ever see it again.

Sometime during New Year's everyone eats soba (buckwheat) noodles as they are supposed to symbolise longevity. So it's a wish for good health. It tastes ok, but it's a bit boring for a meal and I'm hungry again right after.

The main activity, though, is that everyone goes to a temple to make a wish for a happy new year. This sounds simple, but when you consider that everyone is doing this you soon discover you have to wait in a very long queue to throw money in a bucket, ring the big bell and clap three times before you make your wish. People queue for hours. So long that there are festival and snacks stalls that open up along the line and they sell their goods and food to people waiting. So, people like to get up early to try and get to the front of the queue. They also pick up a fortune on the way out. You pay a small fee to the temple and they give you a fortune on a piece of paper. It's like the fortune in a Chinese fortune cookie but it is more detailed, covering different aspects of your life. I've had at least three of these but I don't think they have ever come true. Some places will do an English one for you, but these are usually only the popular tourist destinations. Whether the fortune is good or bad, they usually take them to a fence or a tree and they tie them into a knot. This is supposed to bind the future it predicts, and stop it affecting your life, but people seem to do it with not only bad ones, but good ones too. I like to keep mine. There are also different types of fortunes. You can shake a box with sticks in and then pull one out. A mark on the stick corresponds to a fortune the clerk has and they give it to you.

Finally, there is one more thing they might do. At the temple, they can leave a message on a special wooden board and hang it up at the temple so that it may come true. Some people go all out with this, and it is not out of the ordinary to see some awesome manga drawings on these boards. They can also buy lucky charms to help it come true and these are specially made for different needs. They have everything from 'good health' to 'good exam results'.

So that's it for the day itself, but soon come the New Year's sales, which are a little special in Japan. That's for the next blog entry. In the meantime, check out our video and if you have any questions or comments, or there is anything you want us to cover in a future blog, please let us know.