patrick.net

B.A.C.A.H. says

Bigsby says

If you make it to Kyoto, gotta go to the monkey park. It is a nice walk to

the hilltop where the monkeys are, with a spectacular view of Kyoto.

Kyoto is hell in the summer

Yes, we were there during August holiday time. The heat and humidity were oppressive, especially on the walk up the hill to the monkey hut. But it was worth enduring the weather!

Most of Japan is hell in the summer to be honest. Today was oppressive.

I loved the bidet toilet seats so much, I have bought two since my trip to Japan in 2001. Don't understand why this isn't more popular in the States.
Much cleaner than our system.

Waitingtobuy says

I loved the bidet toilet seats so much, I have bought two since my trip to Japan in 2001. Don't understand why this isn't more popular in the States.

Much cleaner than our system.

It's expensive to stick a plug next to the toilet.

Not really. Cost me $50 to pay my handyman. The bidet toilets run $300-$500+

Waitingtobuy says

Not really. Cost me $50 to pay my handyman. The bidet toilets run $300-$500+

Cost me a helluva lot more to rip out part of the dry wall, run the line etc...etc... And as you say, the seat isn't cheap even for a none wall mounted controller.

Bigsby says

Waitingtobuy says

Not really. Cost me $50 to pay my handyman. The bidet toilets run $300-$500+

Cost me a helluva lot more to rip out part of the dry wall, run the line etc...etc... And as you say, the seat isn't cheap even for a none wall mounted controller.

It's pretty easy. Cut a hole 3x5 inches put in a plastic switch box with GFI and run electrical wire from the nearest outlet. I've seen it done twice and it took about 25-30 mins, tops.

The cost of the seat is another issue. There are models that operate cold
off of the tank water which cost less than $100 and need no power.

I love the orderliness of the country. Makes getting around quite easy. Crime is relatively low, and so even in Tokyo you can be out late or very early, with little worry. I usually try to get in an early morning run, and run through some of the former palace and shrine areas which are now parks. 6AM and folks are out doing Tai Chi. Cool stuff!

Bigsby says

Most of Japan is hell in the summer to be honest. Today was oppressive.

Yes, the heat and humidity are nasty, but I'm still having a very good time just because it's all so new to me.

If you're in Tokyo and want to meet up before Wednesday, let me know here or by email: p@patrick.net I've been able to check the site and my mail only once or twice per day tho.

'Just' outside Tokyo with family. Am off to Fukuoka soon, but thanks for the invite.

More peculiarities in Japan:

* Restaurant chairs that swivel, with socks on their legs.

* Bubblegum flavored donuts (ugh) and bubblegum flavored shaved ice (ugh ugh).

* Lack of trash, yet a complete lack of trashcans too. Where are you supposed to throw out anything?

* Many signs are in Korean as well as English. Do they have that many Koreans here?

* Classical music ("Ave Maria") playing from speakers mounted on poles in a shopping district.

* Beer and coffee from vending machines, which are on almost every corner.

More peculiarities in Japan:

* Restaurant chairs that swivel, with socks on their legs.

* Bubblegum flavored donuts (ugh) and bubblegum flavored shaved ice (ugh ugh).

* Lack of trash, yet a complete lack of trashcans too. Where are you supposed to throw out anything?

* Many signs are in Korean as well as English. Do they have that many Koreans here?

* Classical music ("Ave Maria") playing from speakers mounted on poles in a shopping district.

* Beer and coffee from vending machines, which are on almost every corner.

You must be in an area near Shinjuku (Korea Town) as most signs are only bilingual in Tokyo (at best). Never noticed a lack of trashcans. Plenty in stations for starters. You'll also find you can't actually get the beer from the vending machines without an IC card.

Blurtman says

I love the orderliness of the country.

I like flying in over the airport the cars on the roads and streets almost look they are synchronized toys. They are all the same box shape and color white, whether a sedan, van or suv, whether 2 car links or a quarter mile apart, they all move at the same orderly speed.

Kind of like that 3M or GE animated commercial a few years ago to the soundtrack "funkytown".

The 6480 was presumably followed by the 'man' kanji, so $648,000. The banks don't accept foreign debit cards. The post office, 7-11 and Citibank ATMs are your best options. 200,000yen seems to be the max now.

There is a serious lack of early-morning espresso shops in Tokyo. If you can find espresso, it's probably at some cafe that doesn't open till 9am or even 11am.

We found one "cafe" in Roppongi that was open at 7am and were going in when the owner stopped us because they were about to close! They had been open all night serving the party crowd (alcohol, mostly) and 7am was their normal closing time.

A typical price in a realtor window is 6,480 Yen for an apartment. What does that number mean?

Bigsby says

The 6480 was presumably followed by the 'man' kanji, so $648,000.

It would be very interesting to know what those prices buy and what they seem to be worth. With an apartment, there is usually no land, only perhaps an undifferentiated share in the land under the building, which might be leased. (In the UK, ads refer to "leasehold" vs "freehold.") The value of buying an apartment is almost purely the difference in ownership costs vs renting, even more clearly than with a house. (Exceptions include NYC, where some exclusive buildings do not allow renters.) Anyway it might be worthwhile to meet with a Japanese realtor and learn more about the numbers and see what they buy.

Patrick, I was in Tokyo in 2001. If you get tired of Japanese food, my wife and I went to this place and it was very good. (and my wife is Spanish, so she knows her stuff)

http://www.fodors.com/world/asia/japan/tokyo/review-39007.html

http://www.inpraiseofizakaya.com/in-praise-of-izakaya/2010/5/19/sabado-sabadete-shirokane.html

It's hard to find good Spanish restaurants anywhere outside of Spain.

Thanks for the tip! Pity I'm seeing it only now, with two hours until I go back to the airport.

Another odd thing about Japan: it's really hard to find any gifts that are Japanese. We could not find a single shirt or other piece of clothing with Japanese writing, only English!

Lots of bad English on the signs, like they don't bother with spell checkers. Favorite typo on a sign so far: "Erementary School"

Obligatory:
http://failblog.cheezburger.com/engrishfunny

Then again, there are regularly $30 watermelons in the stores. Who buys those?

Is that Obama selling watermelons?

...er I mean Peanuts!

Back in the USA!

Happy I went to Japan, and happy to be back here. Excellent vacation.