Settling into Tokyo Snow
I have to say that Tokyo rocks. I'm sure that many of the great things I'm experiencing are true of the major cities of the world. Still, this the first one that I'm in, so I get to attribute it to Tokyo. I'm living in Akasaka in temporary housing for two months. This means that my apartment is far nicer than one I can afford. It's huge and boasts a king-sized bed. Kinori has moved into the small bedroom which is still much larger than his entire previous apartment. My commute to Microsoft Japan at Shinagawa takes just minutes. I walk right by a Starbucks as well as many convenience stores, cafes, restaurants and bars on the way. Each morning I get my grande hot drip coffee and sometimes a half sandwich and look down at the crowd flowing through Shinagawa station. Monday this week I headed off to complete essential errands. I registered my residency with the ward office, obtained a Japanese SIM card for my iPhone and then opened a bank account. The ...