Electrical and Electronic store

Shopping electrical/electronic items.
There are plenty of shopping complexes that specially selling electrical and electronic items.
Mostly, we don"t bargain but some electronic store do allow customer to bargain (you have to show prove such as picture,pamphlet etc that can show that other store is selling at cheaper price).

Some of the famous places are
Akihabara Electric town (Tokyo)
Nippon bashi Den-Den Town (Osaka)

Some of the famous stores are
Yodobashi (http://www.yodobashi.com/)
Yamada denki (http://www.yamada-denki.jp/)
Bic Camera (http://www.biccamera.com/)
Denkodo (http://www.denkodo.co.jp/)
Joshin (kansai) (http://joshinweb.jp/top.html)

The famous online stores are
kakaku.com (http://kakaku.com/)
*You can compare the cheapest price in the market.
Yahoo auction (http://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/)

Souvenirs

Gifts and Souvenirs
Some of the famous places to buy souvenirs are in Asakusa@Tokyo and Akihabara@Tokyo.
Some major shopping complex such as Yodobashi also sell souvenirs.

Baby 'bear'

Inside a Japanese house

Inside a train to Odaiba, Tokyo

Playing snow at Mt.Fuji

Near a lake at Mt. Fuji

Random pictures

View and Scenery
Random pictures taken in Yokohama and Tokyo.

Strawberry park

Old Japanese house

Underwater tunnel at Odaiba, Tokyo

Fuji TV at Odaiba, Tokyo

Train to Odaiba, Tokyo

Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji (view from a ski resort)

Rainbow bridge(view from Redbrick warehouse in Yokohama)

Landmark tower in Yokohama

Odawara castle @ Odawara

Tokyo Disneyland

Castle in Tokyo Disneyland

Souvenir shop@Asakusa

Tulip

Sakura tree during winter

Tree during winter

Sea and bridge in Tokyo

Rainbow bridge in Tokyo

Highway in Tokyo

Enoshima (background Mt. Fuji)

Petrol Station (nozzle from top)

Bullet train @ shinkansen

Bridge in Yokohama

Japanese foods

Foods
Some example of Japanese foods are sushi, sashimi, tenpura, takoyaki, okonomiyaki etc.
Price is quite reasonable. e.g cheap tenpura is around 500yen.
Japan is also famous of its bento box.

Tenpura set course

Sushi

Bento box

Living Information

Living information for foreign residents.
Each prefecture/district has their own living information for foreign residents in English.
Other languages are also available.
You can get information like living procedures, taxes, welfare etc.
Please visit your nearest district office (区役所) for details.
There, you can ask about your alien registration card (ID card), insurance, child allowance etc.
Every months they will distribute leaflets or posters in English about activities held in your area.
Check it out.

Some of the living information website.

Osaka
http://www.osaka-livinginfo.jp/en/

Yokohama
http://www.welcome.city.yokohama.jp/eng/tourism/

Sakura during spring (April)

House

Type of houses
There are many types of house. 1DK, 2LDK, 3LDK, 4LDK etc. Usually, 1 room is based on 6-8 jyou (the size of tatami). Either a Japanese type room or/and western type room.
D: Dining
K: Kitchen
L: Living

1DK. Source: UR

2DK. Source: UR

The rent varies for each area. e.g in city area like Tokyo, small house (1DK) might cost you around 100,000yen while outside city area, the rent might cost around 50,000yen.
Before you enter a house, you need to pay shikikin (deposit money) and reikin (thank you money). There are also ZERO shikikin and reikin house. You have to find the correct fudousan (real-estate agency). Mostly, you have to sign a 2 years contract. After 2 years, you have to renew the contract. If you void the contract, you might have to pay penalty money.
After you have choosed your house, you have to apply electric, gas, water connection by phone or online.
By the way, I am living in UR house.
Mostly the windows, sliding doors are at a particular size. Therefore, when buying a curtain, you only have to measure the length, wide of the window and buy the curtain at the home center etc.
No need to cut, sew etc. No headache.
Some house require you to install water heater and light at your own expense.

Typical design of an apartment in Japan

Old housing area

Japanese type room (with tatami)

Western type room

Kitchen

Bathroom

Toilet

Sink/basin