Living Japan

KYOTO What's going on everybody? Welcome back to the second installment of Choosing Your Perfect City the Kyoto edition. Where we will be talking about the cost of living in various cities throughout Japan and what it is going to look like according to your budget. Today we are going to talk much in the same way that we did last time about choosing the perfect city for you to live in. This time however, instead of focusing on the sprawling and bustling metropolis that is Tokyo, we are going to be going in a different direction and talk about Kyoto. Kyoto is by far one of my favorite cities in Japan. I have taken many trips to the city and spent many hours walking around and exploring everything that the city has to offer. Kyoto just has it's own aura about it, making it seem like another country within this already fascinating country. Once you step foot off of the train at Kyoto Station, you may not notice that the city is anything different from anywhere else

Yes it is that time of year, at least according to the old Chinese calendar. Spring is almost here and it is time for the people of Japan to purge the bad spirits of the previous year and invite in the good energy that is to come with the new year. What I am talking about of course, is Setsubun. Every year on February 3rd, the people of Japan enjoy dressing up as demons so that they can scare the crap out of their children while having roasted soy beans thrown at them to drive away the evil "demon". This practice mainly takes place in the home where the father will dress up and act as the "demon", however, many temples across Japan hold their own ceremonies where you can partake in the event. (For a price of course) This yeah was actually the first time that I had the day off of work on the holiday, so I made my way downtown to one of the local hot-spots, Osu Kannon Shrine, and spend the day watching the event. While it was not the most exciting thing to s

Hello again everyone, how are you doing? Wonderfully I hope. The winter is in full swing here and it is nice and crisp outside with the lovely gray rainy skies and flu outbreak that comes with it. So lovely.... To pass the time and honestly avoid going outside, it is time for a new post! Originally I had planned on making this just one post instead of a series but as I started writing this down, I realized it was become rather lengthy. So best to separate it into parts to make it easier on you guys. Alright, enough with the intro lets get into it! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Okay, you have prepared everything in anticipation for your move to Japan, now what? Well my friends, now it is time for you to pick the perfect city for you to live in and call home. While you may not have much of a choice depending on the job you are offered, you have most likely been checking out the job postings online and notice

Hello all! We are now up and live and to kick things off I thought I would make my first post about some personal tips to follow before moving to Japan. I hope you enjoy the post and please leave a comment bellow with your thoughts, concerns, or just general feedback. So let's jump right into it! Moving to Japan So you are thinking about moving to Japan. What do you need to know before you make the move? What are some things that you should have ready? Today we are going to cover some of the common things that you should have ready before you make your move to start your new life in Japan. No matter the reason for your move, these tips will help you have an easy transition into your new life worry free. Tip 1: Renew your passport This may seem like a pretty common sense tip, but it can lead to a major headache if you find yourself moving abroad only to notice that your current passport is going to expire in the next year or two. The process of getting