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Living Out Of A Suitcase
榴ヶ岡 Tsutsujigaoka
Do This, Don’t Do That
Dec 7th, 2009
Took on a little photo assignment on my way home from work the other day: Signs. Japan, if nothing, is absolutely littered with signs, telling the huddled masses what to do and when to do it. Of course, nobody follows any of these rules. People park on the sidewalk, don’t pay for bicycle parking, and routinely run red lights. Ironic how the country that makes most of the cars doesn’t even know how to drive them properly. The stereotype, my dear friends, is true.
Miyagino Avenue
Dec 6th, 2009
The east (rear) side of Sendai Station was totally revitalized some years ago. The train lines were all moved underground, allowing the main boulevard, Miyagino-dori (宮城野通) to be widened. Today it’s a beautiful area. The sidewalks are wide and uncrowded, lined with trees, and there are all kinds of interesting sculptures and small shallow waterways that run along them. It’s a nice relaxing way to walk to work, before you enter the hustle and bustle of the west side of the station.
The Walk Home
Nov 6th, 2009
Some sights to be seen on my daily walk home from work. I don’t work or live near the main drinking district, Kokubuncho, but rest assured there are still plenty of places to get a glass of the good stuff or something to eat as I make my way to the east side of Sendai Station.
New Neighbourhood
Mar 7th, 2009
Got the call from Sendai today, our apartment application has been approved! Let’s take a look at a couple places that are in our new neighbourhood.
Just a short walk (or a 2 minute train ride) away stands the home of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, aka the Rakuten Eagles. Pro baseball teams in Japan are sponsored by companies. Rakuten is an Internet shopping company. Think Amazon, but with travel as well. The Eagles are the newest team in Japanese baseball, playing their first season back in 2005. I’ve watched a little bit of baseball since I moved to Japan but never had any rooting interest in a particular team, so I suppose I will adopt these guys as “my” team.
The softest stadium in Japan!
And where do the Rakuten Eagles play? At the mighty KLEENEX STADIUM!!! Yeah, that Kleenex. It isn’t very large, which is nice, so the atmosphere will definitely be more intimate than the Kingdome or BC Place ever were. I checked out the stadium back in November during an open practice. The sightlines look pretty good from any seat. Tickets are priced well; the cheap seats being only 1200 yen (about $16CDN).
Open practice at Kleenex Stadium.
Next to the baseball stadium is Miyaginohara Athletic Park. The day of the open practice there was also a race through Sendai, so I stopped by and snapped a few photos.
Just a block away from us is Tsutsujigaoka Park, one of Sendai’s largest parks (maybe?). It’s one of the most popular places to do “Hanami“, Cherry Blossom viewing. In the spring everybody goes to various parks to hang out with friends and family, eating and drinking till all hours of the night. Here’s an old video of some hanami from Akita City.
Tsutsujigaoka Park - 榴ヶ岡公園
At the little amphitheater tucked away in a corner of the park there was a DJ spinning some techno, pretty cool… There’s also a supermarket a minute away, a YaMaYa, and a bunch of restaurants, a Starbucks, and a 7-11. From all I’ve heard and seen this is a pretty nice neighbourhood to live in. It’s gonna be good to live in a real city again!
New Home?
Feb 25th, 2009
After searching all day in the freezing cold last Monday, I think, I hope that we’ve found our new apartment in Sendai.
Last month I was offered a transfer from Furukawa (population 40,000) to Sendai (population 1,000,000). I think I accepted even before my area manager finished the sentence. It’s not that I dislike Furukawa; it’s a quiet, relaxing farming town. It’s just that Kyoko can’t find a decent job here. We’d been hoping to make the move to Sendai, so I was all over this opportunity like white on rice.
Getting an apartment in Japan is pretty different than in Canada to say the least. First there’s the security deposit, which can range from zero to 3 months rent. Second, there may or may not be the infamous ‘key money’, which basically is a cash gift to the landlord/owner to the tune of a months’ rent. Finally there is the ‘introduction fee’ which is paid to the real estate company for making the arrangements for you. For this privilege you must pay another month of rent. Add to this other incidental costs, such as mandatory fire insurance and other building fees… we’re talking some serious yen.
After being shown 9 or 10 apartments that fell within our parameters (price, location, amenities, etc.) we found one that we were happy with. It’s an older building, built back in ‘83, but was just renovated. At the top of a 10 floor building as well, so the view of the city is pretty nice, and up away from the hustle and bustle of the street. Close to a big park and walking distance to the baseball stadium and Sendai Station, it’s a great area if you ask me.
Big added bonus: Washlet!
Bottom line to move in, including the 1st months’ rent?
$3644.
