Rubbish!

How to process large-sized rubbish in Japan

by Paul Goodchild on June 29, 2009

When you have over-sized rubbish – that is, large items that don’t fit into your normal rubbish bags, you have to go through certain procedures to get rid of them.   I’m referring here to normal large size waste that is bigger than 30cm x 30cm x 30cm, and not home appliances and personal computers. In [...]

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Hiking: Mitake-san -> Okutama

by Paul Goodchild on June 8, 2009

Recently I’ve been trying to get out and get more hiking done in and around Tokyo so each time I get to do something, I’ll try and write up a quick summary for you so if you’re interested, you can have a go at it too. The route The route I took was Mitake-san (御岳山) [...]

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Kamakura

May 25, 2009

It’s long-since been regarded as a great 1-day trip out of Tokyo.  This is nothing new for anyone who has lived in Tokyo for a while and it’s typically one of the first places ex-pat residents will visit, and a noticeable omission from any guide book.  So why is this the case?  Is it worth [...]

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Eating out in Japan – the healthy option

May 19, 2009

Recently I have become very conscious about what foods I eat, especially when eating out.  If possible now I aim for the vegetarian option, and where the option exists, I shoot for the organic / macrobiotic catering restaurants.  The whys and wherefors for this can be followed on my personal blog as I explore and [...]

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How to go to the gym in Tokyo for the cost of a latte

April 20, 2009

If you live in Tokyo, chances are you aren’t surrounded by the lush green, rolling hills of the countryside back home.  The work-out that comes with stepping out your front door to do just about anything isn’t there any longer.  So the natural solution is to go to the gym.  But it costs money, and [...]

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The Tokyo Subway system on Google Maps

April 20, 2009

Ever wondered how the incredible mesh, that is the Tokyo underground rail network, looks from space?  Well since it’s underground, it doesn’t really matter how far up you go, you wont be able to see it… But… someone has gone to the trouble of super-imposing all the subway lines and their stations onto a Google [...]

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How to make public transport easier in Tokyo and Japan

April 17, 2009

Tokyo… it’s a pretty big place. Officially as of October 2007, the population of Tokyo is approximately 10% of country, which is roughly 12.790 million people.  The Tokyo prefecture is the 3rd smallest by land area (2.187km²) making it the most densely populated prefecture.  So how does everyone get around and reach all these places?  [...]

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An easy way to transfer money overseas from Japan

April 8, 2009

A question that arises time and time again is for an easy and cost-effective method to transfer money overseas from your Japanese Yen.  Go to any bank and you can do it.  Whether you need an account with that particular bank/branch is something I don’t know at this point, but there is a convenient alternative [...]

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Welcome to your Gaijin Guide!

April 7, 2009

Just a short welcome to say thank you for visiting and I hope you find something of use here.  Please feel free to register and comment on any of the articles you have read, to add to what you’ve read and to correct our authors.  Translators for some of the more common languages are most [...]

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The basics of finding an apartment in Japan

April 7, 2009

There are several frustrations that foreigners can experience during their time in Japan, one discussed before was banking, another is long-term accommodation – renting an apartment.  Why is it such a chore?  Well moving to a new place is a stressful event at the best of times, but to do so in a foreign language [...]

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