Japan had solely been a cash society for many years. Business workers would walk around daily with wads of cash in their wallets, which was unimaginable to the Western mind. Thankfully in the last few years, places where credit cards are accepted, have increased. It...

From the backdoors of Harajuku that stretch to Shinjuku, is a town not familiar to many-- Sendagaya. Harajuku, Omotesando, and Shinjuku steal the popular spotlight, but what you may not know is that sandwiched in between them is Sendagaya, a place filled with charm! A laid back...

Minami Aoyama is a luxurious town situated right behind the glitzy Omotesando, and connecting to the urban district of Roppongi. Take a stroll along the streets of Minami Aoyama, and you will be mesmerized by world-renowned architectures, designer and boutique shops, classy bars, and rich...

Japanese Recycle Shops/Services and Recycle Concept Whether you are furniture shopping for your new apartment or trying to find places to donate/sell stuff, Japan has a variety of Second-Hand shops to choose from. -Or as Japan calls them, "Recycle Shops (リサイクルショップ)", since they were created to...

How to throw away your trash in Tokyo Welcome to Japan- the land of systems, and organization. There is so much good that comes from living in an organized country! Clean trains, organized lines/queues, and a systematic way of sorting trash. Lovely. When you first move here, you...

Brush up on Japanese for apartment screening! So you've found an awesome Tokyo apartment, and you have submitted your application. What can you expect to happen next? Before you contract and can get those keys in your hands, you need to pass a hurdle: the screening...

Awhile back, we had the pleasure of apartment hunting with our friend and well-known Tokyo-based YouTuber, KemushiChan ロレッタ (Loretta). We had a great time assisting with her apartment hunt, which she documented on her channel. Here we will take a look at some of the stuff that...

Although kitchens can be the dream room for some people in the house, Tokyo kitchens might not exactly be your "dream kitchen".  Or they might be!  Depends on budget and expectations, really. Tokyo’s apartments are relatively compact, leaving little space for your kitchen. The irony is...

Article originally published March 19, 2020 Here are some RESOURCE UPDATES (last updated August 11, 2020): Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Coronavirus Support Center for Foreign Residents (TOCOS)" multilingual hotline - Available in Simple Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Khmer, and Burmese,...