My brother and sister in law took me to Ashikaga Flower Park which was absolutely amazing. We arrived in the evening, around 6 but the park was completely lit up and still super busy. The first thing we thing we saw was the most amazing wisteria I have ever seen. …
Our property in Japan is larger than the property in Newmarket. the garden is quite extensive and is a variety of flowers, vegetables, wild plants and more. We have several Sakura (Cherry blossoms) and Rhododendron, with beautiful pink flowers, as well as wild mountain flowers, the red and fuchsia. We’ve …
We’ve now arrived in Japan. The weather has been clear, but cold when we first arrived. The house was 5 degrees! and with no central heating it took a long time to get comfortable. Significant work has been done, and not cheaply, to ensure that it’s a home we’re comfortable …
The house in Japan is complete. On time, just like they said it would be. New insulation, new windows, new everything. 10 days out from moving now. Most of the packing is done. Maybe one or two more boxes to go and some documentation to finish up.
Zuimei and I have finally taken the plunge and purchased a house in Japan! As part of my joining the FIRE movement, and trying to break free of the financial bonds that tie us down we’ve purchased a house for considerably less money than it would have cost us here …
I came across a number of incredible ideas while in Japan. I took photos of a few and wanted to share them and why I think they are so great. The first is a turning lane that extends into the intersection. What you are seeing is a car which has proceeded …
On March 11th the 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Sendai sent a tsunami which destroyed much of the coast and killed thousands of people. In Tokyo, the largest city in Japan and home to over 12 million people, the earthquake had a slightly different effect. It forced people to …
Toilets – The Japanese take pooping very seriously. How many people do you know in North America willing to spend $5,000 on a crapper? In Japan, that is quite common. The toilets are a bit different than the ones we have here. For instance their flusher has two settings, “small” (小) …
From CBC’s live blog: Disaster in Japan The man standing beside the photos is Yosuke Oda, who lost a friend in the disaster, as well as his house. He has decided to collect photographs from the rubble and put them together on a sidewalk so that people who recognize themselves …