Summer in Tokyo: The summer Solstice The Summer Solstice falls on 21 June. This day is called Geshi in Japanese. This is the day of the year that has the longest period of daylight and the shortest night. However, due to typical rainy season cloud cover, it is very...
Living in Tokyo: the Hanami Party The TJL team was recently invited to a Hanami Party in Tokyo. For those who don’t know of this event, Hanami translates as, “Flower Viewing.” Now, watching flowers are not among our favorite activities. But since the viewing includes...
Going back to my Tokyo Japan Life I just arrived back in Tokyo after my annual vacation. My favorite city greeted me with a magnitude 5.0 quake minutes after landing. Some of the other newly arrived passengers immediately started searching for the next flight back;...
I know our legions of fans want to know how the TJL team is handling the recent events. Here is my recount of the last few days... I was at work on Friday afternoon, in our secret underground lair, when the big quake hit. The first shakes weren't too bad, but once...
As a follow up to my previous article "Setting Up Email on Your SoftBank Phone," I have an update to make. I finally ordered and received a StarTech IRdA USB Adaptor. This device will allow you to transfer files to and from your SoftBank 730SC phone. This will allow...
One thing I have noticed since arriving in Japan is the way that the Japanese are willing to grab onto the traditions of other cultures. From the Santa suit-wearing pizza delivery men of Christmas, to the Halloween costumed pretty girls of Roppongi on October 31, to...
This article covers the steps necessary to set up your email on a new Japanese SoftBank Prepaid phone. While simple to set up, there are a few extra steps that you might need to take to get the most from the service. As a newcomer to Japan, you will need a new cell...
Santa brought me a very special gift this year, a brand new Apple iPad (the US version, not the local Japanese version). My research indicated that the 3G version was pretty much useless in Japan (due to differing phone standards), so in my letter to Santa, I...
I recently brought my faithful Kindle DX (small screen 3G version) to Tokyo, Japan. This version is advertised as being usable in over 100 countries, one of which is Japan. While still in the US, I prepped the device before my trip. The registration process and...