I can’t imagine Lake Aoki (青木湖) being any more beautiful than it is in October. That said, October is when the fewest people are there. The lake was empty when we weren’t on it. We took a break on the banks and skipped some rocks. With no wind, the rock skipping was very successful.

The surface of Lake Aoki was like glass, and from our vantage point in the canoes we could see large fish in the clear water.

We ate lunch at the bottom of the chairlift on Happo-One. The colors were great, and an occasional paraglider came over the ridge. The mountain side was covered in ススキ (Japanese pampas grass).

Posted on November 5th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: hakuba, Nagano, nature, susuki, 紅葉. Comments: 2

I previously mentioned how enjoyable the experience was of opening an account at Shinsei Bank. I recently found three more reasons to love the place.

1) Their exchange rates are better than anywhere else. Other places will charge you at least 1%, and some places will charge you 3% or more to change your money. If you have an account at Shinsei Bank, even if you don’t have a single yen in the account, they charge just .125%. I wish I had known this yesterday. I changed money at the post office yesterday. Had I done so at Shinsei Bank, like I will next time, I would have an extra 3,000 yen in my pocket today.
2) I can make deposits or withdrawals for free at any 7-Eleven.
3) Resona Bank (りそな銀行) wanted to charge me 600 yen a month to pay my rent at their bank. 600 yen a month may not sound like much but that adds up to almost $100 for the year we will be here. The only way around the fee is to open an account at Resona. Resona Bank requires a special bank hanko which I would have had to special order. Outside of the hassle, I’d have to wait for it to arrive and pay more than 1,000 yen. Then I’d have to take it back to the bank and wait an hour or more for my account to be opened just so I could give them money without a fee. Instead, Shinsei will allow me to pay this bill (and four more a month) for free, online, anytime I want. No more trips to Resona; no more fees; no more hassles.

Posted on November 5th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: getting the best rate to change convert USD into yen. Comments: 4

It’s only the third inning of Game 6, but can there be any question as to who will win the MVP award? I don’t think so…

Hideki Matsui (aka, 松井 秀喜 or Godzilla) is going to make Japan very happy in a few minutes here.

Posted on November 4th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: baseball. Comments Off on 2009 World Series MVP

My last post on Waseda University was so popular, and one person who responded wanted more, that today I will offer a part two.

This first photo, above, is the view from my Friday night class in Building 11. Waseda University is in Shinjuku-Ku but is far enough away from downtown Shinjuku that you can see the high-rise buildings rather nicely.

The second picture is the view out my office window in Building 6. Even though this part of the building is covered in ivy, Waseda University is not part of the Ivy League. 😉

Finally, for today anyway, here is a shot of the university on the approach from Waseda Station on the Tozai Subway Metro Line. The Okuma Bell Tower can be seen in the background. Some sort of festival is going on pretty much non-stop. On Friday, November 6, the Athletic Festival will be held. Later this month, it appears there is going to be a Photo Journalism Festival.

Posted on November 4th, 2009 under Japan. Tags: night photography, nishi-waseda, shinjuku, signs, Tokyo, waseda university. Comments: 5

If you are sick of my Halloween shots then I have good news. Today I will finish the Halloween series.

Posted on November 3rd, 2009 under Japan. Tags: halloween, people. Comments: 3